Flirting With Death
by safariwriter
Summary: Bella is working at the Running Horse Inn with her best friend when she meets Edward. Her life takes an interesting twist as soon as she meets the enchanting stranger... Also read Kissing Death... It's about Bella's friend and her adventure with James!
1. Too Much Excitement

**A/N**- Hello everyone! So I am now back! Now, if you guys are reading this story you should also be reading Kissing Death (KD) which is the JamesOC version. They run side by side... it's something new that I'm giving a try. Also, I know some of my usual readers are used to me updating every other day or every few days... well, that's not going to be happening for a little longer. It's looking like one or two updates a week. You'll still get constant updates, just not as quickly as usual.

Just a little about FD, it's partially historical and partially not. It's taking place in a world where the times collide. I think you guys will understand after reading it! If you've got any questions, you can ask them in a review or PM!

Also, I'd like to thank EdwardISLestat for her help with understanding some of the historical aspects of this story. If you need any help with any of your stories, go send her a PM and she'll be able to help you!

Disclaimer: I don't Twilight or any of the character... This is my ONLY disclaimer for the story, but it DOES apply to the rest of the story... Got it? Get it? Good...

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Dara was dazed again. I could see it in her eyes. She was probably dreaming of somewhere, anywhere, but Forks. She hated it here and made sure everyone knew it. I didn't really mind it here though. I liked the quiet. The only problem is that the smallest event becomes the biggest due to the gossipers. I liked being forgotten, but my clumsiness has put me in the spot light more than a few times.

I finished drying a few plates and brought out the fruits I would need to start preparing for tonight's cobbler. It was actually my father's favorite and I always brought him whatever was left over. Charlie was the sheriff in Forks and rarely took time off. He used to worry that he left me alone too much, but after I moved into the Running Horse Inn permanently, he hasn't bothered me about it. I know he still worries since I'm his 'little girl' but I've gotten used to it over the years and know how to avoid some of his speeches. He even taught me how to use a gun when I started going through puberty, but decided with my clumsiness, giving me a gun wasn't smart.

I heard some voices, but didn't really think that much about it. A few people came in for lunch, even though it was pretty rare. Dara usually watched the front anyway, so I didn't really have to worry. I could make a sandwich pretty quickly if I had to, but the afternoon was usually spent cleaning up and preparing for the coming night. Dara's parents had bought her the Running Horse Inn and since then, Dara has made it the thriving business it is today. Well, the dining room was always lively while the rooms on the second floor usually remained empty.

We rarely had travelers pass through Forks. Most people didn't want to test the forest that separated us from Blythe, the large city a day's ride from Forks. There were rumors of beasts in the forest that would attack if a traveler ventured to far off the path or too close to Ruthridge Castle. Personally, I think it's just some story the adults tell their children to keep them from playing in the forest.

"Hey Bella, Angela is here and she has some news for us." Dara said. I nodded to acknowledge her and wiped my hands clean.

"You must have some gossip with a smile like that on your face." I said as I sat down next to Dara and across from Angela.

"Well… Mike just got into town." Angela started. I couldn't help, but stiffen with the news. Although Mike might have been one of my biggest fans, I wasn't one of his. "Apparently there are some travelers coming. They were first seen at the fork in the road down at Newton's farm. Mike was out helping his father work the fields when they saw them. The group stopped to discuss some things before continuing on."

"How many are there?" Dara asked. I could tell she was thinking about how this could mean that we might potentially have overnight guests.

"Mike said there were three women and four men. All of them were on horses as well. O, and get this, the women were wearing riding pants, just like the men! Apparently they were quite tight as well."

"Well, this is going to stir things up quite a bit." Dara muttered. Angela and I both laughed and nodded.

"How did Mike get to town so fast? Will the travelers be here soon then?" I asked.

"Mike's father told him to spread the word so apparently he jumped on his horse and rode over here as fast as he could. Tyler currently has his horse in the stables so it could rest. It also sounds like the group is coming pretty slow, but you never know if they might pick up speed. Mike said they seemed weary of everything and were quite cautious."

"But when will they get here?" I asked.

"Close to sundown, or at least that's what Mike is guessing." Angela said.

"Great… during the dinner rush." Dara groaned. We were usually quite busy since we were the only diner around. The Running Horse was the place to go to get all of the day's gossip. So even if people ate at home, they still came here to see everyone.

"Where is Mike now?" I asked.

"He said he had to go talk to someone, but didn't say who. He did have quite a large smile on his face. O Bella, do you think he's going to go ask your father for permission to court you?"

"I hope my father shoots him if he does." I muttered. Dara elbowed me in the side since Angela was still friends with Mike. It didn't stop me from frowning at the thought of being courted by Mike.

"Alright, well I have to get back. Lauren and the others were coming over. I'll see you guys tonight." Angela said. We said goodbye to her and walked with her to the door.

"Why does she hang out with the harpies? She's so nice." I asked. When we were younger we had dubbed Lauren, Tanya, Kate, and Victoria as the harpies. Jessica was also hanging out with them even though on her good days Bella and I considered her a friend.

"Who knows…" Dara shrugged. "You want to get the other rooms ready?"

"Alright." I agreed.

We had almost made it up to the second floor when we were stopped by the door opening once more. When we turned back around we were greeted by the sight of Mike standing in the middle of the room. I groaned quietly knowing I was going to have to face him.

"Good afternoon Bella." Mike said. Dara coughed next to me in order to get his attention. "Good afternoon Dara."

"Can we help you?" Dara asked.

"I was hoping to talk to Bella actually." Mike said. Dara looked over at me to see if she needed to stay, but I just nodded. She continued up while I returned to the dining room to see what Mike wanted.

"What did you need to talk about?" I asked.

"I know it's not a secret that I've always been trying to… to grab your attention. Everyone knows I fancy you. Bella, I am hoping you'd give me the honor of allowing me to court you. I promise you'll make the other girls jealous with the amount of attention I give you."

"Mike…" I said. I really did not want to tell him yes, but I knew he was going to want an answer. If I said no… I didn't even want to think about it. Mike had already started to show that he had inherited his father's drinking habits and he wasn't the best of drunks.

"Bella, please. I'll make you the happiest woman." Mike begged. God, he was such a puppy, constantly begging! "Your father gave me his approval and was actually happy that I wanted to court you!"

"Mike, let me think about it. I'll tell you tonight." I said. I placed a hand on his arm to try and comfort him, but Mike just looked down. I was going to kill my father for agreeing to this, but that was another issue. Mike was silent for a few minutes before looking up.

"Well, I guess I did surprise you. You promise you'll talk to me tonight?"

"Of course." I said.

"Alright, I'll see you tonight." Mike said. He took my hand and left a lingering kiss on the knuckles. I watched him leave before letting out a sigh.

I stormed back upstairs as soon as I was sure Mike was gone and wasn't coming back. I noticed Dara had finished the first few rooms and found her in the third. I flopped onto the bed, causing her to cry out.

"Bella!" Dara growled.

"Sorry." I muttered.

"So, what happened?" Dara asked.

"He asked to court me. Apparently my father approved!" I yelled.

"And what did you say?" Dara asked.

"I told him I'd talk to him tonight." I sighed. "And right now I'm planning on avoiding him all night."

"Sounds like a plan." Dara said as she remade the bed once I got up. We finished the room and were walking down the hall to the next bedroom when I heard footsteps downstairs. "I think we have some guests."

"Really?" I asked. I stopped walking and listened before shaking my head. "I'll never understand your super hearing." Dara seemed to be able to hear everything that was going on in the Running Horse if she really focused.

"Why don't you finish the last room and I'll go check them in?" I said.

"Alright." I nodded.

I took some pillows from Dara and continued onto the last room. It was already pretty neat and ready to go. I turned down the bed and made sure the wash bowl in front of the mirror before moving on to the next room.

I was turning down the bed when I heard the door open behind me. I looked up and yelped… well it was closer to a scream, when I noticed a young man standing in front of the now closed door. I didn't mean to, it just happened.

"I'm sorry to startle you." The young man said. He had bronze hair that seemed to have a mind of his own. It wasn't his hair that captured my attention though, but instead his golden eyes. I had never seen eyes that shade before. But his eyes seemed pained. He moved to the far corner of the room and watched me as I tried to slow my heart rate. "Miss, are you alright?"

"I'm fine… I'm sorry, I'll be leaving." I said. I made a quick dash for the bed, but not before taking another quick glimpse at the stranger. He was still watching me with the pained and confused look as before. I knew those eyes were going to haunt me for a while now.

When I got into the hall I saw Dara standing at the end of the hall. I glared at her and ran after her, not caring that the other strangers were watching from their doors. I grabbed Dara by the arm and dragged her downstairs. As soon as we were in the dining room I spun her around and continued to glare at her. "I can't believe you let him in there while I was there!"

"I forgot you were in there." Dara said.

"Sure…"I growled.

"What? Did he try something?" Dara asked.

"No, he was a perfect gentleman actually. I was just taken by surprise." I said. "Don't do that to me again."

"I'll try not to." Dara sighed.

oOoOoOo

I had tried to talking some sense back into Charlie, but it didn't work. He was just happy someone had taken interest in me and that I'd be provided for in the future. I knew he was worried about what I'd do after he died, but I was hoping he'd understand that the Running Horse was helping me provide for myself. I didn't want to dependent on anyone else. I wanted to be dependent on myself.

I walked back into the Inn to see a few people already at the bar. I smiled and waved at them, but continued walking into the kitchen. I noticed Dara following me with a curious look on her face.

"Everything alright?" Dara asked. I just shrugged and continued walking into the kitchen. "Are you at least ready for the dinner rush."

"Ya… I am." I said. I poured all of the fruit into a deep iron pot and placed it into one of the ovens to start cooking after adding the crumble crust.

"Alright…" Dara said. I thought she was going to leave me along when she stopped and turned back around. "O, you're going to tell me what your father said later."

"I was planning on it." I replied. I smiled to myself. Dara and I were like sisters and we didn't keep anything from each other. I knew I wasn't going to get away without telling her what happened. I'm just surprised she was going to let me wait till tonight.


	2. More excitement

**A/N-** Hello everyone. Well I know some people are reading this story, but no reviews? I would really appreciate some reviews! I always like to know what you guys think, even if it is really short.

Anyway, I think that Mondays will be the update day for this story… this could always change, but Mondays are looking like the best option.

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I don't know how, but I had managed to make it through most of the dinner rush without tripping and making a fool of myself. Unfortunately I was stuck serving the Harpies as well as Mike and his friends. Mike and the other young men were downing the beers almost as quickly as I was filling them. I could already tell Mike was losing it, but luckily he had yet to ask me about my answer.

I looked over at the bar and smiled as I saw Justin and Dara talking. Justin was infatuated with Dara, even if she wouldn't see it. Everyone in town was waiting for them to get together, but Dara was set in never seeing it happen. She's perfectly happy making her own money and living without a man helping her.

"Good evening, Bella." Martha, one of the older women in town, said as I refilled her glass of water.

"Good evening, Martha." I said.

"So, have you seen the travelers?" She asked.

"I saw one." I answered.

"Which one?" Martha asked.

"One of the young men."

"What was he like?"

"He was a complete gentlemen the minute I was with him, but I didn't spend much time with him, of course."

"Well, at least he was a gentleman." Martha said with a smile. "Was he handsome?"

"Martha!" I exclaimed.

"What? So far we've heard that everyone in the group was beautiful!" Martha said. I looked around the room and noticed the harpies' table needed refills.

"He was handsome, but I need to go refill some other drinks. I'll talk to you later tonight." I said.

I made my way over to the harpies' table and filled the water glasses before moving onto the beer ones. As I finished filling up Mike's I felt an arm snake around my waist and pull me down. Before I know what had happened I was in Mike's lap with both his arms around my waist.

"Mike!" I exclaimed. The hall was quiet and I knew everyone was looking at us. "Mike, let me go!" I tried to get out of his grip, but appears the beer had given him some more strength. No matter what I did I couldn't get out of it.

"I'm taking what is rightfully mine!" Mike exclaimed, making sure everyone heard. I saw his head bending down and I slammed my lips closed. His mouth was on mine and it seemed like everywhere else on my face as well. I continued to fight Mike off, but he just moving his lips around my face.

When Mike finally broke the kiss he roared with pride. That's when his grip loosened and I was able to escape. I slapped him as soon as I was up before dashing up stairs to my personal room. I could hear Mike and someone else behind me. I didn't care finding out who, but instead focused one getting all of Mike's slobber off of my face and hiding from him. This was not how I was expecting my night to go at all.

I made it to my room safely enough and locked the door behind me. This was the first time I was thankful Justin had installed the dead bolts to all of the doors. Within seconds of locking the door I heard Mike pounding at the wood and yelling for me. I slowly walked over to the wash bowl and cleaned my face, trying to scrub off all of slobber.

I heard Dara as she tried to stop Mike and then a thud. I hope he hadn't hurt her. I knew Dara was pretty resilient, but Mike was drunk and I wasn't quite sure what kind of damage he could inflict on her in that state. Mike continued to yell while a few other voices talked quietly behind him. I couldn't make out the words, but was happy to hear Mike's voice get farther and farther away. I relished the silence, but jumped when I heard knocking.

"Bella, open up. It's just me, I promise." I heard Dara call softly from the door. I slowly made my way to the door and opened it for her. She was looking, almost longingly, towards where our guests were talking.

"Dara, are coming in?" I asked.

"What? O ya." Dara said. She opened the door a bit wider to walk in, then locked it behind her. "So, what do you want to explain first? What happened with your father or with Mike?"

"My father said he'd think about ending the engagement, but since there's not really anyone else and he knows Mike would be a able to support me, he's not too sure about it."

"You need to escape with me to the city." Dara sighed. She walked over to the window and seemed to be looking for someone or something. She knew I'd never move to the city and yet she always made a point of telling me I should go with her.

"You know I'd never survive there." I sighed. "Anyway, he asked me to give him a few days."

"You'll have to convince him you can find someone else?" Dara asked.

"Or that I can provide for myself if it came down to it, but I doubt he'd let that happen if Mike's willing to take me." I sighed. I knew my father wouldn't break the engagement, but it didn't stop me from hoping.

"Which leads us to tonight's events…"

"I was serving the harpies…" I began.

"Ah, that explains part of the troubles." Dara said.

"Well Mike and the others were with them as well. I was refilling their drinks when Mike wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me down. I tried to get up, but he just held on tighter. Then… then he kissed me! He slobbered all over my face like some big dog! Dara, that was my first kiss! That vile creature stole my first kiss!" I cried. I had been thinking about it since the kiss, especially since the whole hall had seen it.

"Did he get past your lips?" Dara asked. She was going to try and reason with me… just what I need.

"No… I made sure to keep them shut."

"And he just made a mess, correct?"

"Yes, it was completely disgusting. Then he said something about me being his and how he'd claim me correctly soon."

"Well, first he isn't romantic at all. I'm not sure he even is when he's sober. Second, he's drunk. He has no clue what he's doing and I'm not sure he'll remember in the morning. Third, he might have taken your first peck, if you want to call it that, but he didn't take your first real kiss. You still have that to give to someone. Finally, you have no feelings towards him. Your first kiss should and will be with someone you have feelings for."

I processed the information and started to see Dara's reasoning.

"What will the people think? O god, I might have just stolen our visitor's spotlight. The gossip will be focused on me now!"

"Bella, calm down. Everyone knows Mike has had a crush on you for years. They also know you've never encouraged any of it. Plus you were fighting against him. If they're going to talk about anyone they'll talk about how vile of a creature Mike is."

"You're sure."

"I'm pretty sure. I can't tell you what people are thinking though." Dara said. "Do you want to stay up here for a bit and compose yourself?"

"You'll take care of everything downstairs?" I asked.

"I will." Dara nodded. I knew she was capable of handling the dining room by herself, but just wanted to make sure.

"Thank you." I whispered.

"O, by the way. Two of our visitors helped with Mike. One just happened to be the bronze haired one you met earlier."

"Really?" I asked. I knew I was too interested in the fact than I should have been.

"Really. He was pretty strong as well. He pried Mike from the door and was able to restrain him without any help."

I couldn't believe someone would be that strong. I mean I tried to fight him off and I'm not as much of weakling as people think. Just because I'm a klutz doesn't mean I'm weak.

"I'll see you downstairs… and who knows. You might get to have another run in with the strangers."

"Dara, don't get any ideas." I groaned.

"Me? Get ideas? Never." Dara laughed. I knew she always was and just smiled. "I'll see you downstairs."

"Alright." I nodded.

I washed my face one more time before letting my hair loose and trying to get a few of the knots out. I was just pulling it back up into a bun when I heard a knock at the door. I walked over to open it, thinking it was Dara again. I was surprised to see the bronze haired guest instead.

"Can I help you?" I asked. I had forgotten about my hair and it was now tumbling down around my face.

"I just wanted to make sure you were ok." He said.

"Yes I'm fine." I said quietly. "Thank you for the concern."

"If your fine…" He said. He started to back up and walk down the hall.

"Um… sir… sir!" I called. He stopped and looked back at me.

"I'm sorry, but do I get a name?" I asked. He took a few steps back to me, but stopped when he was a few feet away.

"I'm Edward Cullen." He said with a crooked smile. "And the lady's name?"

"Bella Swan." I said.

"It was nice to meet you Miss. Swan." He said.

"Please, just Bella." I said.

"Of course." He said. He bowed slightly before returning to the sitting room with the rest of his family.

I took a deep breath to try and calm down my heart rate. It seemed as though every time I saw this stranger my heart fluttered out of control. I'm sure my face was flushed red. I heard someone else walking down the hall and risked a peak. Unfortunately I only saw the back of a man with long blond hair. I sighed and finished putting my hair up before making my way downstairs.

When I reached the bottom floor I noticed that most people had left. The harpies were still there, but most of the others had already left. I went around to see some of the other patrons.

"Bella!" I looked over my shoulder to see Serena waving at me. She was a few years older than Dara and myself, but had always been friends with us. She was like a big sister to us as we grew up.

"Hi Serena." I said.

"So… who was the Adonis who escorted Mike out of here?" Serena asked.

"Don't you have a husband?" I laughed.

"Doesn't mean I can't look." Serena shrugged.

"He's one of the visitors. Mike made a ruckus upstairs and he came to help." I explained.

"Is that it?" Serena asked.

"Yes that's it. What did you expect to hear? That I dragged him into my room when he got back and thanked him properly?" I laughed. Serena laughed as well.

"I knew you've always had it in you." Serena laughed. "I'm going to go home and relieve Damien of his baby sitting duties."

"Alright, I'll see you later." I gave Serena a hug before walking deeper into the room. I noticed Dara walking up to the second floor with the blonde man from before. If I didn't know any better I'd say she was blushing, but Dara had never had a crush before in her life.

"O Bella, we wanted to make sure you were alright after that little innocent!" Jessica said. I knew she was putting on an act. I rolled my eyes before answering.

"I'm fine." I replied.

I quickly moved past the group, ignoring their snickering. I know they're going to start spreading rumors and trying to dirty my name, but luckily most of Forks knew of the harpies' reputation and never believed them.

I noticed Dara walk back downstairs and she was definitely blushing this time. Her hands were together and one of her thumbs was rubbing over the top of her hand. O… something had definitely happened. "Why are you so flustered?" I asked her. I had a huge smile on my face and knew it. Finally, I will be able to get her back from all of the years she had teased me.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Dara replied. She knew I had her…

"Right…" I laughed.


	3. Checking Out

**A/N**- Hey everyone! So it's Monday and they means it's time for an update! So here's chapter 3! Also, the chapters will be getting longer! I know these 2,000 word chapters are rather short, but they will be turning into 4,000 word chapters very soon! Other than that, that's it. Hope you enjoy (and let me know if you do).

**Romance4ever**- Hello again! It's nice to be reading reviews form you once more! I'm glad you're enjoying this one! Dara and Bella are starting to develop feelings, but on different levels… If you want to keep up with Dara make sure to read Kissing Death.

**MrsMcVampy**- Um, the time period is a mix of the past (like Jane Austen time era) and the present, although it's mostly the past. Since this is my own world, I've decided to mix everything… If you need me to clear it up more, just let me know! I'm glad you've found the first few chapters interesting!

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The rest of the night was uneventful, thank god. Justin had come back at some point to let Dara and I know that Mike had effectively passed out after throwing up a few times. He left a few minutes later to make sure his friend wasn't going to die in his sleep. So, Dara and I cleaned up most of the kitchen and dining room, but left most of the dishes for the morning. We both made sure the doors were locked before walking back up to the second floor. Our guests had probably long since retired, but Dara still walked down the hall to make sure everything was alright. I continued on to my room and quickly went about my night time routine. Within a few minutes my hair was brushed, my face washed, and my teeth brushed. I turned off my light as I heard Dara walking back up to her room.

Before I actually went to bed I took some time to sit by the window. I looked up at the full moon and reflected on everything that day… well mainly a certain someone. I didn't understand why Edward had helped with Mike or why I was so curious about him. There's just something about him that attracted him to me. But I guess I'll never know since he's probably leaving tomorrow with the rest of his beautiful family.

Eventually I found my way to bed. It didn't take me long to fall asleep at all. It seemed as though as soon as my head it the pillows I was asleep. However, I was awoken once more by yelling coming from downstairs. I groaned, but got up to see what was going on. If my luck was still on my side I'd trip and scare whoever it was off. I walked downstairs as quietly as I could, noticing that all of the room son the second floor was still dark.

"Is everything alright down here?" I asked before yawning when I made it to the second to last step.

"Yes, Bella. Go back to sleep." Dara said. I could tell she was still glaring at one of our guests… James I believe it was. I looked between them quickly before shrugging and making my way back upstairs.

"Miss Swan, is everything alright?" I jumped at the soft voice, but calmed down when I noticed it was only Edward in leaning against the wall. "I'm sorry if I scared you, again."

"It's alright." I said. My hand covered my racing heart, trying to calm it. "It seems as though Dara and James are just arguing over something… nothing to worry about."

"If you're sure." Edward said, almost reluctantly.

"I am, don't worry. Dara can hold her own if it came down to it." I said. "Please, go back to bed, it's really nothing to worry about." I said.

"Alright. Good night Miss Swan."

"It's Bella, please." I said.

"Good night then, Bella." Edward said, ducking his head slightly. He walked back to his room in his elegant gate, which I just couldn't help but watch. When Edward had disappeared into his room I continued back to my own room, hoping Dara would be back up soon. I wouldn't know, however, since I once more found sleep easy to drift into.

That night I dreamt of Edward Cullen. I wasn't sure why, but I did. I don't remember the details of my dream… I just remembered he was in it and I woke up happy. I'm not about to complain about dreaming about him if that's how I'm going to wake up.

oOoOoOo

The next morning I found myself washing dishes next to Dara. I could tell she was still riled up from whatever happened with our guest. "So what happened last night?" I eventually asked.

"I woke up and heard someone downstairs. I went down to investigate and found out one of James' friends sneaking around. He left after James talked to him though." Dara explained.

"How'd he get in?" I asked. Concern instantly washed over me when I realized that if one man could get in then more could get in.

"Apparently he can pick locks really well." Dara shrugged as though it didn't matter.

"Should we get Justin to redo the locks?" I asked.

"No… it's fine." Dara replied. I'm still going to ask Justin the next time I see him…

"So what happened next?" I asked.

"We talked, we said some things, our voices rose, you interrupted us, then we fought a little more and finally went to bed." Dara shrugged, again as though she didn't care.

"Ya… that's all it sounded like." I told her as I rolled my eyes. If that's all that happened she wouldn't be wound so tight this morning.

"Whatever." Dara muttered. She handed me the last pan to dry and drying her own hands. I dried the pot before throwing the rag in the dirty pile before making our way out to the main dining room. We stopped in our tracks when we noticed our guests sitting at one of the tables quietly.

"I'm sorry if you were waiting long. We were absorbed in our conversation." Dara said. "We've been wanting to get a bell for a while, but we haven't had a need in some time."

"It is alright. We were just going to check out and pay." The older gentleman said. Dara went behind the bar and gathered our log book while I got out our money box. "I believe this should be enough to cover our stay." The man dropped a few bills and some gold coins on the table. I could tell from my spot just to the side of Dara that he had paid way too much for their few rooms.

"Sir… this is too much." Dara said. She tried to sift through the money to figure out how much to return to him, even though she knew that was my area of expertise when dealing with customers.

"Nonsense. You and your friend deserve it." The man said with a smile.

"Well… um… thank you then." Dara said. She paused for a second before handing me the money so I could count it, log it, and put it away. "And you Mr. Rothschild. Will you be leaving as well?"

"I will be." He said tensely. So he too was still mad about last night apparently… Our last guest signed the page tensely and threw a few bills down. Again, it was more than it should have been.

"Mr. Rothschild, this is too much." Dara said once more.

"Keep it." He said. Dara nodded before throwing the money at me. I counted it, logged it, and put it in the money box before returning the box to our safe. I returned back to Dara's side as our guests gathered their few personal items.

Dara and I walked out into the foggy morning to watch our guests leave. There weren't too many others out, but who were stopped to watch our guests leave. The men all went to gather the horses, but Edward just stood by his. He was one of the last ones to get up, but before mounting he turned his head slightly to smile over his shoulder at me. I returned the smile, as well as blushing. I really needed to work on controlling my blush…

"Bella…" He whispered my name.

I smiled up at him.

"Please don't get into too much trouble." He said. "I'd hate to hear something happened to you."

"I'll try my best." I replied quietly. I wasn't sure why he was so worried about me, but I wasn't about to fight with him right before he left. He nodded and smiled, almost sadly, once more before kicking his horse over to join his family. The left almost as soon as they joined him.

Dara and I watched as our guests disappeared into the fog-covered forest until they completely disappeared from sight. "So they're gone now?" I asked quietly, more to myself than to Dara.

"It would seem so. Hopefully life can go back to normal now." Dara replied.

Dara and I returned inside and sat down at one of the booths. We were both quiet for some time till Dara broke the silence.

"I want to go to Blythe soon." Dara said quietly.

"What? Now?" I asked. First the mysterious yet beautiful stranger left and now my best friend was going to leave me. This day was just getting worse and worse and it was not even noon!

"Not now… just soon." Dara said, stressing the soon. "I just want to get out of Forks."

"Who will you go with?" I asked.

"I'm not sure. Of course you're welcome to come, but I'm guessing you won't want to."

"You're right…" I said. "You know I don't really want to leave."

"I figured as much. I might make a trip the next time Justin goes on an errand." I shrugged.

"Well if you do, you'll have to tell me how it is." I said with a playful smile. Dara looked up at her curiously. "What? Just because I don't want to go doesn't me that I don't think about it."

"How is it you still surprise me after all these years?" Dara asked as she laughed slightly.

"You've just stopped paying attention." I shrugged before getting up from the booth.

I left Dara in the dining room and began to clean up the guest rooms. The beds seemed to be barely touched, some even still made. I didn't pay too much attention to it and just made sure everything was ready for the next time we might get lucky enough to have visitors. At least we won't have to worry about how we would get money since our visitors made sure we were well taken care of.

As I reached the room Edward was in, I stopped. I could faintly smell as I finally walked across the threshold. How had one person, one man, effect my life so much? He was a complete stranger and yet I completely and utterly addicted to him. As I walked over to the bed I noticed a note on the bed. I stopped and picked it up, not sure who it was supposed to be for. I probably shouldn't have read it, but I wasn't really listening to the rational side of my brain at the moment.

_Be Safe_

It was written so elegantly, just like Edward. I assumed it was indeed for me since Edward had asked me the same thing before he left. I tucked the note into one of the pockets on my dress before finishing his room and moving on to the next one, a smile once more on my face.


	4. Another Visit

**A/N**- Hello everyone! So I just finished a midterm, which gives me a little bit of time to update! Plus, it's Monday. Anyway, there are about two things I would really love right now. First, an A on my midterm. Second, some reviews! And I know you guys are awesome so you'll be reviewing… right?

**Romance4ever**- I love weaving everything together, it keeps me on track with staying true to the characters. Plus, I just love some of those small things in the books!

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I watched as Dara attempted to clean some of the tables. She would be doing a good job and then drift off as though she was thinking about something… or someone. Then she'd realize what she was doing and get back to work. Personally, I found it amusing, but I knew James was bothering her even more now that he was gone than he did when he was here.

"You're thinking about him again." I said as I snuck up behind her. Dara growled before drying the table. "You're going to put a dent in the table and then we'll have to go look for a new one and figure out what to do with that one so we don't completely waist it."

"Whatever… we've had them long enough." Dara growled. "And I'm not thinking about anyone."

"Right…" I said. Denial… I knew it!

"If I was thinking about Mr. Rothschild then you're probably thinking about a certain Mr. Cullen." Dara shot back.

I could feel the blush rise to my cheeks. She was right though… I had been thinking about Edward ever since he left.

"So, I've talked to Justin and I think I'll go to Blythe with him tomorrow." Dara said.

"Really?" I asked.

"He said he was planning a trip and that I'd be more than welcome to go." Dara shrugged. "So now I'm going to talk to my parents to see if I can go."

"You think they'll let you?" I asked.

"I hope so… I'm actually going to take the afternoon off and go see them, if that's okay with you."

"That's fine." I said. I knew how important this trip would be for Dara and I wasn't about to stand in the way of her going. Anyway, we rarely ever had customers in the afternoon so I could easily close the inn for a bit if I need to go on some errands. "We shouldn't have any issues or guests for that matter."

"Would you mind if I left now then?" Dara asked.

"Go for it. It will give the tables a break." I laughed. Dara threw her dirty rag at me, which I barely avoided, before making her way upstairs.

I started sweeping the floor, hoping to get most of the chores out of the way so I could go see Charlie at some point. I did promise him I'd come by today and talk to him about Mike. He wasn't thrilled with Mike's behavior a few nights ago and was possibly rethinking his choice in suitors. I just needed to push him in the right direction a bit. That wouldn't be hard, especially if I brought him lunch. I put a mental list together of where I needed to go and what I needed to get. If I was going to go see Charlie then I might as well go find some fresh fruits and veggies for tonight's dinner service. Dara had a key to the inn as well so even if I did lock up, she would be able to get back in without really thinking about it.

I closed the inn as soon as I was done. I pulled my cloak around me tighter and made my way down to the sheriff's station. I'm guessing my father's probably asleep, or close to it. On his days off he spent the afternoon talking to anyone who stopped by or sleeping. Sure enough, Charlie was sitting at his desk with his feet back and his chair slightly angled. The cells were empty since the only people who ever filled them were drunks and they were usually gone by midday. Charlie always saw the headache that formed the next morning to be punishment enough.

"Hi Dad." I said. I kissed him on his cheek lightly before dropping the sandwich off in front of him.

"Hey Bells. What did you make today?" Charlie asked. He tore apart the sack in order to get into the sandwich. Instead of answering I just watched Charlie discover it for himself. "Aw, tri-tip? Lemme guess, left over's from last night?"

"Yup, but I know you love it still." I said. "Plus I grilled some onions for you."

"Aw Bells, you shouldn't have." Charlie said as he took a big mouthful. "Although I'm not complaining at all."

"Your welcome then." I said.

"So is Dara watching the Inn right now?"

"Nope, she wanted to go talk to her parents. Apparently Justin has offered to take her to the city with him tomorrow."

"Alone?" Charlie asked. I knew he saw Dara as another daughter… just like Dara's parents saw me as one of their own.

"I think so, but you know Justin. He isn't anything like Mike."

"I would hope not." Charlie grumbled in-between bites. "Bella, I've talked to Mike. He's been in here every time he's come into town practically begging for forgiveness."

"And what did you say?" I asked.

"I told him I wasn't sure. I wanted to see how he kept acting for a long period of time just to make sure there weren't anymore repeats."

I nodded, playing the edge of my cloak.

"Plus I heard one of your visitors helped you? Was there any interest in that?"

"Dad, I'd probably never see him again if there was."

"Rumor has it they paid quite a bit." Charlie said.

"The rumors are right, for once." I said. "They paid more than they should have. We'll be set for at least a month now."

"Well it's nice to know you two are being taken care of." Charlie said. "You know that's what I want for you. I just want you to be taken care of so I don't have to worry."

"You'll worry about me until you die." I said, rolling my eyes. We both knew it was true, which his probably the reason Charlie just smiled and went back to his lunch.

"Now, should I get used to hand delivered lunches?" Charlie asked.

"I thought you wanted to go on a diet. You wanted to be more fit or something like that." I said.

"When you cook like this just for lunch… I just might have to reconsider." Charlie grinned.

"I'm not sure I can do it everyday, but I'll try and bring you lunch when I can." I said. "It might not be for a few days since I have to take care of the Inn by myself if Dara is able to go to Blythe."

"She's just going to leave you behind to deal with the crowd?" Charlie asked.

"She invited me to go with her and Justin to Blythe, but you know I don't have any real desire to go. Plus we have Malory here so it won't be too bad." I said. "It will just take me longer to clean up is all. Malory can probably come in and help me with that as well."

"Alright, but if you can't handle it I want to know. I'll be over there before you can blink and I'll have the place emptied so you can lock up and relax." Charlie promised. I knew his promise was good too. I've seen the way he can get the people of the town to get out of a certain building. The people here respected him which means they actually did as he asked, or in some cases ordered.

"You'll be the first person I call for." I promised. I picked up my father's press and threw it away before getting ready to go start my errands.

"Are you headed back to the inn?" Charlie asked.

"Uh no… I have some errands to run. Why don't you come for dinner? You haven't been to the Running Horse for dinner in so long."

"I'll try Bells, but you never know who might try to act up…" Charlie said.

"You know if someone is going to try to act up then they're going to act up at the Running Horse." I said. Bella shrugged, but nodded in agreement.

"We'll see… we'll see." Charlie said.

"Alright, well I'll see you a bit later." I said.

"Be careful Bells." Charlie said. I nodded and smiled reassuringly although I know he's always going to worry, no matter what.

After leaving Charlie's office I headed to Angela's parent's store. They owned one of the larger farms and were able to sell some of what they grew. Other families also grew more to sell in town, but I liked Angela's family more than the others so I always went to them first. They also sold other things. They were a small store, but the only one that sold bottled and canned goods.

"Hi Bella!" Angela called. She was working behind the counter, putting some bottles of oil and vinegar on the wall.

"Hey Angela. How's business?" I asked even though I already knew the answer.

"Same old, same old. We sell just enough to pass." Angela said.

"I understand that." I replied. "I'll go round up everything I'll need then we'll talk some."

"Sounds good." Angela called over her shoulder.

I wandered around the store. Over the years I had become so familiar with the different isles that I barely thought where I had to go… I just went there. I started loading up a bag with different veggies. They were so green and fresh that I knew we could find something to do with them for dinner. Some of the fruits looked good, but it really wasn't fruit season so I just held off. I finished picking up some mushrooms and nuts before walking back over to Angela. She was now resting on the counter and looking out the window. I had seen that look before… it was the look Dara and I have been showcasing lately.

"How's Ben?" I asked with a smile.

"He's good. I think we're going on a picnic with our families tomorrow… if the weather holds. I hope it does. I think a picnic just sounds so romantic!" Angela said.

"They are. I'll hope for good weather for you although it's always difficult to tell this time of year." I sighed, looking out the window to the sky myself.

"Do you think he'll propose soon?" Angela asked. "We've been courting for so long and we're not getting any younger."

"Maybe it's your parents. Who will they have run the shop when you're gone?" I joked, trying to lift Angela's mood.

"Bella… you know my mother will do it. She's been wanting to get off the fields for a while now." Angela said.

"Ang, I'm sure he'll propose soon. You two were meant for each other." I said.

"I guess…" Angela sighed. "What about you? What's going on with Mike or better yet that stranger?"

"That stranger hasn't been back since his visit, as expected, and Mike… well he's apparently trying to get back into my father's good graces although it's not looking good for him."

"You sweet talking your father into breaking his agreement with Mike?"

"Of course. I'm bringing him lunch and trying to get him to come to the Inn for dinner." I said.

"Your father always was a sucker for food… especially when you cooked it." Angela laughed. "You really think he'll tell Mike to forget about it?"

"Hopefully. I guess we'll have to wait and see." I sighed.

"I say we hope that the stranger shows back up and sweeps you off your feet." Angela laughed.

"You're starting to sound like some of my books." I replied.

"Ya well… it's still nice to dream." Angela replied. She wrote up everything I was buying before giving me a price. I happily handed her the money before gathering everything in my arms. "Looks like you're leaving at the right time."

"Huh?" I looked out the window and noticed the harpies walking up. I groaned and closed my eyes briefly before sighing. "I'm going to try and escape."

"I'll see you later then."

"Tell me how tomorrow goes." I said as I made it to the door.

"Of course!" Angela smiled and waved one last time before I left.

I was able to make it outside before the harpies came in, but unfortunately I was still spotted. I turned around when one of them, I'm guessing Victories hissed my name.

"Girls." I smiled sweetly before turning back around and continuing on back to the Running Horse. I know I'm never supposed to turn my back on temperamental animals, but right now… I don't really care.

As I walked back to the inn I noticed Justin walking on the opposite side of the street. He had a large smile on his face and I could only guess that Dara had been successful in talking to her parents. When I walked into the kitchen Dara was butchering some meat she must have bought on her way home. She had a piled of bones in the trash can next to her and a small pile of fat next to her.

"How did it go with your parents?" I asked. I knew Dara hadn't notice me come in, but she barely flinched. I set my bags down and start the mundane task of putting everything away.

"It took a bit of convincing, but… they eventually agreed." Dara shrugged as though it had been the easiest thing in the world to do. "And now they're is coming for dinner."

"So that's why you bought some of the nicer cuts." I said. I took a break from putting my groceries away to look at one of the pieces of meat. I had to admit, Dara was pretty good at butchering and trimming meat. I washed my hands and went back to my job. "Have you talked to Justin?"

"Ya, we're leaving at sunrise." I said. That meant I had to talk to Malory tonight about her coming in during the day and helping me. At least she was already used to working at night.

oOoOoOo

I heard Dara's mother come in rather than see her walk through the doors. Dara's mother commanded attention every time she walked into a room, whether she wanted it or not. I smiled as they walked up the stairs. I knew the next few minutes were going to be hard for Dara, but since the dinner rush had begun I wasn't going to be able to help her this time.

"Do you have a table open?" I jumped at the voice that came from right behind me, although I immediately recognized it.

"Uh…" I looked around, noticing most of the booths around the wall were open. We never seated our diners, they usually do that themselves. I looked up at Edward finally, instantly falling into his gaze. He was also smiling a dazzling smile which didn't help anything.

"A table?" He asked again. Somehow his smooth voice broke me from the trance instead of deepening it.

"It's open seating. You can sit wherever you would like." I said, sweeping my arm over the room. That's when I noticed some of the people watching us and talking quietly. Great… more gossip with me in the center.

"Thank you." He grinned. He glided over to a far table, partially hidden in the shadows. I watched as he walked before shaking out of my stupor. I followed after him and nearly ran into the table that he was no occupying.

"Would you like anything to eat or drink?"

"Just some water." Edward said. I nodded and bit my lip sheepishly before turning around and almost running back to the bar. The last thing I needed was to trip and looked like a fool.

When I got back to his table I noticed Victoria and Lauren sitting with him. Edward nodded and smiled at something they had said, but made no move to do anything else. My stomach and smile instantly fell. I set his water down before turning and going off to another customer. I don't know why I was jealous… or hurt. It's not like we were courting. Plus as much as I hated to admit it, the harpies would make a better wife for him. They all had perfect looks… just like him. I was just Bella. I had the same brown hair and eyes as every other person out there.

"Your mother got here?" I asked Dara as I joined her walking back to the bar and kitchen.

"Ya. She's packing my suitcase right now." Dara replied.

"You left her to pack your suitcase alone?" I asked.

"Don't remind me, please." Dara groaned. "I see we have a special guest returning already."

"Uh… ya." I said. I felt my cheeks warm slightly and groaned mentally.

"And so why are you still here?" Dara asked with a smile and a wink.

I felt my blush continue to deepen, so I looked to the kitchen for my escape. I helped the chef plate some dishes before carrying them out to the tables. I had gone through and delivered most of the dinners by the time Dara showed up again.

"Will you please go save him? He's looking completely annoyed and almost ready to kill one of them. As much as I'd love to see that, I'd also enjoy seeing him come around again." Dara said as she found me again. Her eyes were full of disgust as she watched the harpies shamelessly flirt with Edward.

"Dara, we have other customers than just him." I said. She smiled at the people she had just been helping before moving on.

"Your right… and I'll take care of them while you take care of him. Now go!" Dara took my order pad before pushing me in his direction. I was going to grab a pitcher of water for an excuse, but noticed his water was barely touched. The harpies must really be chatting him up if he could even take a few sips of his water.

"Haven't you girls harassed my guest enough?" I asked when I made it to the table.

"Your guest?" Victoria sneered. "What makes him your guest? Are we all your personal guests?"

"Yes, does that mean you have to do as we ask?" Lauren added.

"That would never happen." I growled. "And last I checked, you just come in here to find your next conquest. You never order anything so no… you're not my guest, Dara's guest, or a guest of this inn."

Both of the girls were shocked. I had never really talked back to them… or to anyone for that matter. Victoria was the first to come back to reality and close her mouth. She scowled at me before shoving Lauren out of the booth and storming away. Lauren tried to say something, but gave up after a few moments and left to follow Victoria.

"That was quite impressive. I'm assuming you do not do that enough." Edward said. My head snapped over to him and bit my lip a bit embarrassed.

"Not nearly enough." I admitted. "Do you need anything to eat?"

"No thank you. My mother… she makes sure we're well fed at all times." Edward grinned.

"O… well what's the cause for your visit? Are you just passing by or should I prepare a room?"

"Unfortunately I am just passing through." Edward said.

"Your eyes… they're so unique. I've never seen that golden color before, well except with your family."

"Yes, well it just comes with being a Cullen I suppose." Edward said, down casting his eyes.

"I like it." I said. Edward looked up and I blushed slightly. Now it was my turn to turn from his gaze. "If you don't mind me asking, where are you heading? It must be important if you're willing to travel at night."

"I am going to see Mr. Rothschild again. We need to finish talking about a few things." Edward said.

"Are you sure you don't want a room? I mean it's so dangerous traveling at night. I've even heard wolves the past few nights."

"Wolves? How close? Have you seen any?" Edward asked. His eyes became slightly darker, as though they were slowly turning black.

"I've just heard them. No one travels into the forest unless they have to so no one has seen one. I can't tell how close they are, sorry."

"It's alright." Edward sighed. "You should be careful. I've seen wolves come close to towns. They'll take their victims at night and quite silently. Usually the prey won't know what hit them."

"And yet you'll be traveling alone at night?" I asked.

"I'll be fine, don't worry." Edward grinned.

"I still find myself worrying if you really will be." I said. Again I let my mouth run away from me.

"If it makes you feel better I will return to the inn on my way home tomorrow night." Edward said.

"It would make me feel better." I said. I tucked a lose strand of hair behind my ear and looked down at my hands.

"Then I will be back tomorrow night." Edward said.

"Thank you." I said. I tore my eyes away from his and looked around the dining hall. Some people had started to leave, but there were still a few milling about. All of the harpies were gone and luckily I didn't have to walk home so I knew there wouldn't be a confrontation with them tonight. "I should be getting back to work."

"I'm sorry if I've kept you from helping others."

"Trust me, I'm sure they didn't notice… ok well they probably did since you're still a stranger to them. They'll probably be talking about this for a while…" I paused and looked around once more before my eyes returned to my hands. "Are you sure you don't want anything?"

"I'm sure. I'll most likely be leaving soon as well." Edward said. "Thank you for the company. It was a pleasure speaking with you again."

"Trust me, the pleasure was mine." I whispered. Edward grinned, even though I thought he shouldn't have been able to hear me.

"Be safe." Edward said before I left his table. It was the same thing he had said before leaving the last time. I was starting to wonder if he actually cared or if he always said that. I'm assuming it's the later since this has only been our second meeting.

I returned to my tables, ignoring the questions some of the women had. I noticed one of my father's deputies and realized I would most likely be having a conversation with Charlie tomorrow. Luckily with all of the food we probably had left over there would most likely be something for me to make Charlie so he'll be too engrossed in his food than what happened tonight.

"Hey Bella, I'm going to go to bed since I have to get up early." Dara said after most of the crowd had left.

"Alright… wake me up before you leave." I said.

"Of course." Dara replied. She returned back to her parents before heading back upstairs.

Lucky for me, everyone decided to leave rather early. Of course this meant around one in the morning. I smiled and told our last guest goodnight before telling Malory she could go home. Chef had shut down a few hours ago since the patrons who had remained were mostly there for the beer.

As I sat on my bed, brushing my hair out one last time before finally going to bed, I tried to listen for the wolves. I had never put much thought into how close they really were to Forks. I hoped they weren't too close to Forks or to any of the roads. Hopefully Edward would make it to Mr. Rothschild's home safely and without incident. I guess I'd know tonight when he showed back up.

oOoOoOo

I moaned quietly and barely open my eyes. Through the haze of sleep and eye lashes I swore I saw Edward standing in the shadows of my room. My eyes shot open, my heart started to beat erratically and I stat up in bed. The spot where I thought I had seen him was empty, but I could have sworn that I had seen him. Maybe I was still dreaming? He had frequented my dreams every few nights and now that I thought about it I couldn't remember what exactly I was dreaming about. I sighed and flopped back down on my pillow. Even though I would never admit it out loud… I really did wish that Edward had been here. I wasn't sure if it was possibly to start falling for someone you had only met twice and had barely talked to for longer than twenty minutes, but I'm pretty sure I'm falling for Edward Cullen and I was quite sure how long or hard I'd fall.


	5. More Strangers

A/N- Hello everyone! So I decided to update tonight because I have on my final and a few papers/responses I want to focus on tomorrow when I'm usually updating. Nothing else is really too new… this is an even longer chapter, but currently one of the longest I have written. So, enjoy (and let me know that you do… remember to click the review button)!

**Romance4ever**- You know Bella doesn't care! And just because Edward can read minds can mean he is able to lie about the little things in life…

**Lcogle**- Well, I'm glad you stumbled upon my little story! Thanks for the review! Have you gotten around the Kissing Death yet? Let me know how you like them both!

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Dara kept her word and woke me up before she left. She had on a plain brown traveling dress and a black cloak. She also had on a pair of cloves, but they weren't the nice white ones. Instead they were heavy and looked more like cloves for the middle of winter. I tried to get up and go with her to the front, but Dara pushed me back on the bed.

"Just go back to sleep, you've have had a long night." Dara whispered. "I'll see you in a few days when I get back."

"But…" Dara ust gave me a stern look and I sighed. "Alright, be careful. I've heard wolves in the forest the past few nights."

"Justin and I both have guns, we'll be fine." Dara assured me.

"You have a gun?" I asked.

"Your Dad gave my parents one to give me. It's small so I can hide it pretty easily." Dara said.

"Alright, I'll see you when you get back." I yawned. I curled back up and quickly fell back asleep.

oOoOoOo

All day had been nerve wrecking for me. I have been worried about Edward since I first thought about him this morning, which was pretty much when I woke up. I didn't know if he had gotten to Mr. Rothschild's home or if he would make it back. I found myself constantly checking the clock to see if it was time. At least I knew Angela was enjoying her day since I saw her walking out to one of the close fields for her picnic. Ben was on her arm and smiling as he talked to her father. Angela looked over quickly and had given me a thumbs up before returning her attention to Ben. I was happy for her, I really was. I just wanted to feel what she was… just not with Mike. Anyone else, well mainly a specific bronze haired traveler.

The rest of the day had been boring to say the least. Malory came by to see if I needed any help, but since I had nothing better to do I told her I would take care of everything. She left soon after with a promise to arrive earlier to help me with the early dinner customers.

For now I was just sitting behind the bar cleaning glasses and watching the world go by outside. When the door opened I jumped in shock and dropped the glass. Of course I then slipped on some water on the ground and soon found myself nursing a sore butt.

"Are you alright?" A deep voice asked. I looked up to see a man with darkly tanned skin and long black hair kneeling in front of me. His clothes were made of leather and he had a knife strapped to the side of his leg.

"I'm fine." I said after a few minutes.

"Sure." He grinned. He stood up before reaching a hand down and helping me up. That's when I noticed how tall he really was. He was almost a good foot taller than me, forcing me to crane my head back. He had a silly grin on his face as he watched me look up at him.

"Thank you, but I assure you I'm fine. I tend to be a bit clumsy and after all these years I've gotten used to it." I said. The man continued to grin, but nodded before dropping my hands and making his way back around the bar. That's when I noticed two others standing behind the bar. I blushed when I realized they had probably noticed me checking out their companion.

"We would like to know if you have any open rooms." One of them said. His voice was strong yet serious and it made me instantly nod my head.

"All of our rooms are open. How many would you be needing?" I asked.

"We'll take three." The same man said. I nodded and pulled out the book from beneath the bar. I opened it up to the last page, noticing James' signature had been the last one on the page so I flipped it to the next page.

"I just need you to sign on the line." I said. I gave him a pen so he could do so. The first man only signed on the first line before handing his pen to his companion. The pen was then passed to the man who had helped me up when I fell. I looked down to where he had signed for his name… Jacob.

"Will this due for payment?" The leader said once more. He threw down a handful of coins. I went through and I counted them up. It was the usual amount we rented our rooms for so I nodded.

"Um, you can sit down for a few minutes. I just need to make sure the rooms are all ready." I said. The leader nodded and found a table somewhat close to the door. Jacob was the only one who didn't sit straight up in the seat. Instead he stretched his legs out and leaned back in the chair.

I quickly made my way up to the rooms and switched some of the bedding. We still hadn't washed the sheets, partially because Dara and I didn't want to. Luckily we had a back up pair so I pulled those out and quickly made the beds again. I made sure the rest of the rooms were all set for the guests before heading back downstairs.

"Alright, if you'll follow me." I said. The three men stood up and walked behind me. Jacob had a lazy grin on his face while the other two had tight smiles that I could see were forced.

"These three rooms are yours." I said, pointing to the three I had just went through.

"Thank you." The leader said once more. I nodded and smiled. I made sure they were all set in their rooms before making my way back downstairs.

"Hey Bella!" Malory called from the kitchen when I got back to the bar.

"Hey Malory, what are you doing here already?" I asked.

"I told you I was going to help with the early dinner crowd." Malory said. "They should be arriving soon, shouldn't they?"

"Uh…" I looked up at the clock and noticed how late it really was.

"Ya, they should be. Would you mind if I made a quick trip to see my dad? I want to make sure that he gets fed sometime today." I laughed.

"Knowing your father, that probably wouldn't be a bad thing. I'm guessing he gets the last slice of the berry cobbler?"

"You know it." I said. I quickly threw some food on the grill to get something cooking for Charlie. While the meat was sizzling on the hot grill I packed Charlie a beer as well as his slice of cobbler. When the filet I had thrown on the grill was done I sliced it up and placed it in a tin with a side of barbeque sauce. The finally touch was a baked potato with all of the fixings. "Hey Malory, I'll be right back. I'm just going to go drop this off."

"Alright, see you in a bit!" Malory replied.

I made my way out of the bar and was about to open the door when it was opened for me. I looked up to see Jacob smiling down at me. "Thank you."

"Your welcome. It looks like you have enough food for a complete dinner."

"That's because it is. I have to go give my dad his dinner." I said.

"Do you need any help?" Jacob asked.

"No, I'll be fine." I replied. Of course as I said that I almost tripped over a crack in the floor. Jacob laughed as he caught me.

"Sure." Jacob held onto my elbow and helped me down from the porch of the inn.

"Really, I'll be fine." I said.

"Last time you said that you tripped." Jacob grinned.

"I'm usually not this clumsy… maybe you're a catalyst." I replied.

"Would there be a specific reason I'm the catalyst?" Jacob asked.

"Not a clue… maybe you could tell me?" I asked. Jacob's smile fell slightly before he perked up once more. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go make sure my father is fed."

I continued on to the sheriff's station. I wasn't quite sure what happened in Jacob's head when his smile fell, but he was becoming yet another mystery for me. What was it with travelers now a days? They were becoming more and more strange and seemed to have more secrets. Now I just wanted Edward to come back since I was starting to figure out more about him.

"Hey Bells!" Charlie called from the door of the station.

"Hey Dad." I called. "I brought you dinner." I held up the bag so he could see. His grin just got bigger.

"Should I start guessing what it is?" Charlie asked.

"You can guess or you can just open it and find out." I replied. I handed Charlie the bag and his beer before walking farther into the building. Charlie followed me over to his desk where he sat down and started pulling everything out.

"Ah Bells… this looks amazing." Charlie said. "When did you start getting such nice cuts of meat?"

"Dara picked up everything yesterday and then butchered it all. Remember those strangers about a week ago?"

"I heard you had one of them come back. The single one apparently?" Charlie said.

"Edward Cullen returned last night on his way to go see his friend Mr. Rothschild, who had also staid with us." I replied. "He's coming back tonight on his way back home."

"Cullen, huh?" Charlie asked.

"Mhm…"

"Alright… maybe I should stop by tonight to see everyone."

"Or to make sure he's behaving himself. Dad, he's always been a perfect gentleman while he's been here. He barely drank too!"

"You sound as though you're already trying to defend him. Are you sure he's only been here twice?"

"Yes Dad… I'm sure he's only been here twice." I said, rolling my eyes. My Dad just didn't know how many times Edward had graced my thoughts and dreams.

"Alright..." Charlie grumbled.

"Don't you have a fishing trip tomorrow?" I asked.

"Ya, I'm leaving pretty early." Charlie said.

"You should go home tonight and get some sleep. We wouldn't want you falling into the water tomorrow."

"Very funny Bells." Charlie grinned. "Alright, I'll make sure to bring you back some fish."

"And I'll fry it up for you." I replied. "I've got to get back to Malory. The dinner crowd should be picking up soon."

"Alright, I'll see you later." Charlie said. He gave me a hug before getting back to his meal.

I quickly made it back to the inn to find that a lot of people had arrived. A few people were talking to the new visitors, but I could tell most were just gossiping. I rolled my eyes and went to find Malory to see what was going on. It turns out almost all of the tables had ordered and we were just waiting for food. Jacob's table had ordered the most food, each person ordering almost 2 entire meals.

"Order up!" Chef called. I walked back and grabbed the plates and looked at the table number. Jacob's table… of course.

"Thanks Chef!" I called. He waved a hand, but didn't look up from the grill. I gathered as many of the plates as I could and walked over to the table. I called out the different plates and the person who ordered it took the plate. I had to go back and to get the rest of the plates since they had ordered so much.

"I'm surprised Bella… you didn't trip." Jacob smirked.

"I told you I don't always fall." I replied. "How is everything?"

"Wonderful." The one who hadn't said anything said. He had almost finished his soup and one of the baked potatoes he had ordered.

"Good… if you need anything just ask." I said.

"Got it." They said between bites.

I turned and left the table, filling different glasses and talking to various tables. The harpies had yet to show up for the night, but I'm sure that they'd show up and flirt like common whores with these new guys. I was filling drinks when I saw Edward walk in. His eyes instantly found mine and he grinned. He casually walked over to the bar and leaned on it as though he owned the entire place.

"I told you I'd be back." He said as soon as I walked over. I leaned on the bar and nodded.

"That you did…" I said.

"But I'm guessing you still worried even though I told you not to." He said.

"I did…" I nodded. "How was your meeting?"

"It went fine." Edward said. Suddenly his eyes shot to the side and he stood up straighter. I followed his eyes and noticed he was staring down the three new visitors. It almost sounded as though he was growling, but I wasn't quite sure.

"Edward…" I said.

"When did they arrive?" Edward asked.

"Uh, late this afternoon. They're staying the night." I said.

"They're staying here?" Edward growled.

"Yes, they've already signed and paid for their rooms." I explained. "I'm guessing you know them."

"Unfortunately. Where's your friend… Dara?" Edward asked.

"She left for Blythe early this morning. She won't be back till tomorrow or possibly the day after." I replied.

"You shouldn't be alone with them." Edward said. "Is there anyone who can stay with you?"

"I can ask Malory, but she has a family to take care of. I'm not sure if her husband is even home right now." I replied.

"Could you stay with your father?"

"I can't leave guests here unattended."

"I'd like a room." Edward said suddenly.

"What?"

"If no one is able to stay here with you and you won't stay with your dad, then I'm going to stay here with you." Edward said.

"And so are we." A soft voice chirped. Edward looked behind him and groaned.

"What are you doing here Alice?" Edward asked.

"I figured I'd meet you halfway home and I heard the end of you conversation. I also smell… I mean I saw the others and figured I better come in just in case something happened…" Alice said.

"Excuse me?" I said. "So you know them?"

"Unfortunately." Edward growled.

"So Bella… do you still have two rooms open?" Alice asked.

"Uh ya… only two left actually." I said.

"We'll take them!" Alice chirped. "Jasper's outside and will be in shortly, but he's staying with me."

"Um… alright." I said. I brought the book out again and let them sign it. Alice dropped another small bag of coins and I'm sure it was way too much again.

"You two are staying here?" It was the leader from the other group. Jacob and his other friend were scowling from just behind him. I looked back and noticed that some of their food had gone forgotten.

"We are." Edward replied. His eyes and face were so cold and calculating. I never wanted to be on the receiving end of that look…

"We're leaving… something about this place reeks." The leader said.

"Sam!" Jacob tried to protest, but the leader, Sam, whipped his head around and glared at him. Jacob bent his head in a submissive manner and didn't say anything else.

"What 'reeks' about the inn?" I asked, offended with the insult.

"Don't worry Bella, he doesn't mean the inn itself… he's talking about some of the guests." Jacob said. "Thanks for the dinner."

"No problem." I said. I was stills hocked that they were leaving because some of the Cullens were here. Alice was beaming, but Edward was still stiff.

"We'll still take two rooms." Alice chirped.

"Alice…" Edward groaned.

"O be quiet…" Alice shushed him. Edward rolled his eyes, but relaxed against the bar once more. "So how has business been, Bella?"

"Uh, fine. Dara left this morning for Blythe."

"Really? Is she going to go shopping? I love the stores in Blythe. We haven't been in so long. O Jasper! We should go to Blythe next!"

"Alright." Jasper said. He was standing as straight as he could and looked as though he was in pain.

"So Bella, anything else going on here?" Alice asked.

"I wouldn't know, but there are plenty of people here who would be happy to fill you in on the gossip." I said. "I try to stay out of it myself."

"Right…" Alice said.

"You can choose any of the rooms since you know where they are." I said. "Are you going to need anything for dinner?"

"Nope. Our mother made us dinner and she sent some for Edward as well." Alice said grinning.

"Special diet." Edward said with a shrug.

"Of course." I replied.

"Alright, we might come down later Bella, but if we don't, good night." Alice said. She seemed to almost skip, pulling Jasper behind her, as she made her way up to the second floor. Edward staid behind for another minute before gracing me with another crooked smile and heading back up the second floor.

"They're staying again?" Malory asked.

"Yup." I said.

"Lucky girl… you get to stay here all by yourself with them…"

"Who's them?" Charlie was standing behind me.

"Hi Dad!" I said.

"Who's them?" Charlie asked.

"You didn't see them?" Malory asked. Charlie looked over at her and I knew she was going to spill ever single detail. "Three of the Cullens are back. They just went upstairs actually."

"They're staying the night?" Charlie asked, looking at me this time.

"Yes, they just paid for a room." I said, showing him the small bag filled with coins.

"You're not staying here by yourself." Charlie said.

"What? Why not?" I asked.

"I'm not letting you stay here by yourself with them here." Charlie said.

"Charlie, there's three of them, nothing is going to happen!" Charlie stared me down, partly because I used his actual name.

"My word is final Bells… I'll stay here tonight."

"What about your fishing trip?" I asked.

"Charlie, I'll stay here with Bella. Henry is home tonight so he can watch the kids." Malory said.

"Alright… bit if anything happens you come and get me first. Bella, do you still have that gun?" Charlie asked.

"Yes Dad." I replied, rolling my eyes slightly. "And I still remember how to shoot it so don't worry about it."

"Alright… I'll see you girls later." Charlie said.

Malory and I watched as Charlie left the inn. "Do you think he came just to see the Cullens?" Malory asked.

"Probably." I sighed. "Are you really staying?"

"No, Henry is coming home late tonight so I still need to watch the kids when they get back." Malory said. "I know you're more than able to handle those three. It already looks as though you have Mr. Cullen in the palm of your hand."

"I don't know what you're talking about." I said. I picked up a pitcher of water and started to make yet another round in the dining room.

A few minutes later the harpies came in, followed by a trail of their perform. They stopped at the door and looked around the room. I knew they were looking for Edward or even the new visitors who had already left. As soon as their inspection was over I saw them glare at me and start to stalk over.

"So, where are they?" Lauren asked.

"Where's who?" I asked.

"Edward and the rest of his family! It also wouldn't hurt to know who the new visitors were as well." Victoria snapped.

"Sorry, but I've never been nor ever will be your source for gossip. Now are you going to order or are you going to go find your next bed companion?" I asked.

"We know they're here Bella… we just want to say hi." Lauren replied.

"Well we don't really feel like saying hi." Alice sneered. She was standing behind the harpies with her arms crossed over her chest. Jasper was standing slightly behind her, but seemed to be ready to pounce.

"Well is Edward here? I'm sure he would want to talk to us again." Lauren said as she flipped her hair over her shoulder. I rolled my eyes, but let Alice handle it.

"First, it's Mr. Cullen when you refer to my brother. I'm Mrs. Hale and this is my husband Mr. Hale." Alice said. "I don't know nor care who you are so don't even try to introduce yourself. Second, Mr. Cullen has already gone to bed. He's been traveling all day and very tired. Third, my brother doesn't want to see you or any of your friends. So why don't you scurry off and go find yourself some other unsuspecting soul."

I couldn't help but laugh while the harpies just stood their stunned. Malory was close enough she had heard everything and was making her way back to the kitchen, attempting to hide her laughter. A few others had gone quiet during Alice's rant and were now paying attention as well. Victoria huffed and turned on her heels and walked out the door.

"That was entertaining to say the least." I said.

"I didn't think they were as bad as Edward said, but apparently I was wrong." Alice shrugged.

"Which would be a first." I heard Jasper mumbled. I looked at him curiously, but he refused to meet my gaze.

"Did you come down for any reason?" I asked.

"I just wanted to meet those girls for myself. I can't believe how trashy they were! Did you see their dresses and the perfume! God, don't get me started on the perfume!" Alice said. I laughed at her reaction and shrugged, making my way back to the bar. Alice continued her rant behind me as she followed me through the tables.

"If it helps at all, Dara and I call them the harpies." I said.

"It's fitting…" Alice shrugged. "Alright, well we'll be heading up for the night… I'll talk to you later."

"Alright, good night." I said with a smile. Alice grinned and waved back before leaning on Jasper's arm and going back upstairs.

"That was entertaining… we needed that." Malory said as she came back out from the kitchen.

"Definitely needed that." I agreed.

Malory and I kept refilling drinks and bringing out a few more dinners and plenty of desserts. When most of the crowd had left I told Malory to go home so she could see her kids before they went to sleep. Plus I'm sure she wanted to rest a bit as well before her husband came home. The last few guests were a few old men. One or two didn't want to leave, but the others dragged them out. There wasn't much of a fight though.

I locked up the Inn and made sure all of the dirty dishes were back in the kitchen. I also checked what we had for breakfast since we had guests… even though I had never seen any of the Cullens eat I'm sure they had to at some point… Once everything was decent enough I walked up to my room. I stopped on the landing for the second floor, but the lights for all of the rooms were dark and I figured our guests had long been asleep. Well I knew Edward was at least.

I was just about to change into my chemise when I heard a rather loud pounding on the door downstairs. I groaned, but quickly slipped my shoes back on and walked downstairs. I just saw a large shadow in the door and quickly grabbed the gun my father had given me. Walking up to a side window I peered out and noticed Jacob standing there.

"Can I help you?" I asked as I opened the door slightly.

"I just wanted to say Sorry about Sam. He'll never give up some grudges." Jacob said.

"It's forgiven although it wasn't me he offended." I said. "Is that why you woke me up and possibly my guests?"

"I'm sure I didn't bother them." Jacob muttered. "I also wanted to make sure you were alright."

"I'm fine, thank you, just tired." I replied.

"Well, I'll let you get some sleep. I'm sorry I woke you up."

"Goodnight." I said. Jacob nodded and I shut the door and locking it as well.

"So, what did the mutt want?" I spun around so fast I was sure I was going to fall, except the door was behind me to catch me. Edward was sitting in one of the chairs in the back watching me. His face was grim although not as cold as when he confronted Sam.

"He wanted to apologize." I explained. "Although I'm guessing you've been sitting there long enough to know that."

"Trust me, he didn't come just to apologize. He came to make sure nothing happened." Edward explained.

"Why would he expect something to happen?" I asked.

"Our families have never gotten along. Fights tend to break out when we get too close to one another." Edward explained. Her stood up from his seat and started walking towards us"They're putting you far too close into this fight."

"Wait, I'm in the middle of it now?" I asked. "How? I'm just an inn keeper and waitress and I have done nothing."

"O trust me Bella… you've done a lot more than you think." Edward said. By now he was standing directly in front of me. He brought a gloved hand up and brushed some hair out of the way. Before I knew it, I was leaning into his hand. When I realized what I was doing I looked up at him, lifting me head up from the palm of his hand. Edward seemed shocked, but not repulsed by my action.

"I should be… I should be getting to bed." I said. Edward nodded and stepped to the side so I could walk past him.

oOoOoOo

Once more I dreamed of Edward, but the details were once again foggy. I also woke up in the middle of the night thinking I was being watched. I brushed my hair back and looked around the room. That's when I noticed my jewelry box on the shelf across from my bed. I got out of my bed and wrapped a blanket around my shoulders. I walked over to the shelf and indeed the box had been pushed back, as though it had been knocked. I picked up the box and looked at it for a second, trying to remember when I could have accidently pushed it back. I shrugged, knowing that this wasn't the time to think about it and went back to bed to get a few more hours of sleep.


	6. A New Suitor

**A/N**- Hey everyone! So I decided to update this story a day early, but I hope no one really minds… Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy it!

**Romance4ever**- Don't worry, pretty much everyone is in the story at some point so others will also be joining. Plus the mutts will be back, although they play a bigger roll in Kissing Death for a while.

* * *

"Good morning, Bella." Malory said as she slipped into the dining room. I was currently sitting at a table sipping on a cup of coffee after cleaning the guest rooms. Edward, Alice, and Jasper had all left early in the morning to go on a walk. I was going to protest and tell them it wasn't safe, but Edward just gave me a grin before slinking out the door. They had been gone a few hours now and I was anxiously awaiting their return.

"Morning Malory." I said quietly.

"What's wrong with you?" Malory asked.

"Nothing… I'm just tired." I said.

"I'm sure you are. Of course with having two groups of guests and then them not getting along apparently. Plus everyone can tell you like Edward."

"I do not!" I tried to hide it, but I knew that it didn't work.

"O please… you're not that blind either. Anyway, with Dara gone and you running this place on your own I'm sure you're tired."

"It's not that. I just didn't get much sleep last night." I said.

"Why not?" Malory asked. She sat down in front of me and smiled, getting ready just in case there was any gossip.

"After I had locked up I went back upstairs. I was about to go to bed when someone knocked on the door. It was Jacob, one of the first visitors. Anyway, he came because he wanted to tell me sorry and to be safe. I told him I was fine and then went to bed, but I woke up in the middle of the night thinking someone was in the room."

"Was there?" Malory asked.

I thought about if I should really tell her about my suspicions. I knew Malory could be trusted and she knows how to keep a secret from the gossiping ears of the other women, but I wasn't sure if I should tell her.

"No… of course not. I think it was just a feeling from a dream or something." I said, smiling down at my coffee.

"Well that's good at least. I mean we won't have to look at the locks on the windows and doors. Plus Justin is gone for another day so no one would be able to."

"What a relief." I said with a smile.

We sat at the table for a few more minutes before the door opened. Alice was gliding in with Jasper right at her side. She had a few flowers in her hands that she brought up to her nose and smelled. She was twirling in his arms and Jasper was just constantly watching her. She smiled over at us and waved before going back up to their room.

"I like her." Malory said.

"Who? Alice?" I asked.

"Ya… she's interesting." I said.

"The other one wasn't with them."

"Edward… his name is Edward." I said.

"Right, I wonder where he went." Malory said.

"Who knows." I replied softly. "I'm going to go finish cleaning up the kitchen."

"Alright, I'll work on the dining room." Malory said.

I started cleaning the dishes while my head went to last night. I know that someone was in there and I can only hope it was a certain person. I just couldn't figure out why he would be in there in the first place. He should have been sleeping, especially since he got up in the middle of the night when Jacob was there…

"Bella, someone wants to talk to you." Malory said. I looked up and saw her smiling at me. She gave me a wink before spinning off and walking away. I dried my hands of the soap and water before tucking some hair behind my ear and walking out.

Edward sat in the same booth that he had been occupying the past few visits. I brushed invisible strays of hair back and walked over to him.

"You needed to talk to me?" I said.

"Sit down, please." Edward said, motioning to the other seat. I did as he suggested and sat down in the cushioned seat. I placed my hands on the top of the table and idly played with my thumbs.

"This seems like some sort of interrogation." I said.

"I can assure you it's not…" Edward said with a light laugh. "While my sister came back here I went to see your father."

"What?" I asked. My thumbs stilled and I looked up at Edward.

"I went to see your father because I had a question for him." Edward corrected. "Um… I asked for his permission to court you."

"You what?"

"I would like to court you, Bella. Your father agreed and I was hoping you would." Edward said.

"Yes… I mean… I would like that very much." I said. I felt my cheeks start to heat up and I knew I was blushing. I ducked my head to hide my blush.

"Please, don't hide. I like your blush." Edward said. That only made me blush more. "I was wondering if you would possibly accompany me back home. Alice and Jasper will be with the us and my family is home so we'll be supervised…"

"I'd love to, but I can't close the inn." I said. "Really I would, but this is Dara and mine's livelihood. I can't just close it and not worry about what's going to happen to the building or the money that we get from it. Plus Malory and Chef depend on this place."

"I… I understand." Edward said.

"Hi Bella!" Alice said as she seemed to materialize next to Edward.

"Um, hi Alice." I said.

"Sorry, but I need to steal Edward for a second." Alice said with a smile. She pulled on his arm and he followed her to the other side of the room.

I wasn't quite sure what to do. I didn't know if I should leave and get back to the kitchen or if I should wait for Edward to come back. I looked over at them and noticed that he was running his hand through his hair pretty roughly. I swear he should have been yelling yet I couldn't hear his voice. I could just tell from his facial expressions that he was fighting with his sister.

"So he's courting you now?" Malory asked as she leaned against my seat.

"Apparently." I said. "How close were you?"

"Not that close, but I've gotten good and reading lips. How do you think I know what my kids are planning?" Malory said.

"So then you know what he asked after that." I said.

"I do and I think you should go. No one is really going to suffer if the Inn closes. They'll find some other place to go for their gossip…"

"But what about you and Chef?"

"You worry too much, my dear." Malory said. "Chef also works out of his home, you know that. In fact, isn't that where you found him?"

"Ya, I guess. What will you do?" I asked.

"I'll spend some time with my kids. Of course if this ends up being longer than we think then I'll come back with Chef and we can run it together… that's if it is alright with you."

"Of course. I think it would be great." I said. "If you're sure though…"

"I'm sure, but wait… I don't know why we're talking like this. Dara should be back tomorrow and then she can run this place." Malory said.

"Ya… I guess I forgot. I would want to tell Dara myself though. I'd want to wait till she gets back."

"I wouldn't expect you to leave immediately though. That would be pretty rude in my opinion." Malory shrugged.

"Malory… what exactly happened when Henry courted you? I mean I barely know what Ben has been doing with Angela and it's not like my experience with Mike was all that great."

"Pretty much you spend time together. You go to dinner or lunch and sometimes just go out. I think you saw Ben taking Angela on a picnic. You do those kind of things." Malory said. "You also spend time with the families so everyone gets to know each other."

"Ok, I think I got it." I said.

"Just remember, everyone is different so you never know what will exactly happen. I think you two are cute together though." Malory said.

"BELLA!" Malory and I turned to the door to see Angela come running in. Edward and Alice also stopped their argument and looked at the girl who was running through the room. I got up and met her a few steps from where I had been sitting.

"The picnic must have gone well." I said. Angela had the largest smile on her face.

"He proposed!" Angela said. She held up her hand and showed off a ring with a single diamond in it.

"That's wonderful!" I said. "I'm so happy for you!" I hugged Angela after examining her ring. Malory also looked at the engagement ring and gave Angela a hug.

"Apparently it was all planned. He had asked my father a few days ago and had Justin pick up the ring on one of his last trips."

"I'm really happy for you Ang." I smiled.

"Bella, aren't you going to share your good news?" Malory asked before slinking away.

"What good news?" Angela asked.

"Um well you see…"

"I've asked Bella if I could court her and she has agreed." Edward said from behind me. I watched Angela's jaw drop before she snapped it back up. I could practically feel Edward standing behind me even though I knew there was a thin layer of air between us. "I'm Edward Cullen, by the way."

"Angela…" Angela said. "Wow Bella… I didn't even think you two had talked more than ordering drinks."

"We have had our moments." Edward said.

"I saved Edward from Victoria and Lauren last night." I explained. I didn't want to tell her about him talking to me alone in my room or our very first encounter in his since that would definitely hit the gossip airwaves.

"You're lucky." Angela said.

"Alright, well, I'll see you tonight Bella. We're going to announce everything… well not announce, more like show that we're engaged tonight." Angela said.

"I'll see you then." I replied with a nod.

"Bye Edward, it was nice meeting you."

"It was nice meeting you as well." Edward said.

Angela bounded out of the inn with the same skip in her walk as she had when she came in. I smiled as I watched her. She really did deserve to be happy with Ben and they made one of the cutest couples in Forks.

"She's engaged?" Edward asked.

"Ben asked her yesterday when they went on a picnic." I explained. "He's been courting her since she turned seventeen."

"So it's been a while?"

"Five years. Needless to say this engagement really isn't all that surprising." I replied. "So is everything alright with your sister? I don't mean to be intrusive, but it looked like it was becoming a heated argument."

"Everything is fine, but I think I might have to return home without you tomorrow. I didn't want to leave so soon, but things have come up." Edward sighed.

"I understand, don't worry." I said. I was disappointed and I knew he could tell. I never could lie nor could I hide my feelings. "So how did Charlie take to you asking permission to court me?"

"He wasn't sure at first, but it didn't take long to convince him. It seemed as though he was still looking for an excuse to tell Michael no." Edward said.

"You're not an excuse… you just have really good timing. If the whole Mike situation hadn't happened then he would have taken some convincing." I replied. We fell silent for a bit until I finally broke it. "So, um, when do you leave tomorrow?"

"Probably early in the morning again." Edward sighed. "If you don't mind, I'd like to come tell you goodbye before we leave."

"I would like that." I nodded. "Is everything ok? Or will it be?"

"I hope so." Edward mumbled. "Everything just takes time. It seems as though when I have finally found some way to spend my time I'm forced to do something else."

"But you're coming back. You can just look forward to that." I said.

"I'll have to." Edward shrugged. "I'll try and come back as soon as I can."

"I'll be looking forward to it then." I replied with a sad smile.

"Bella, will you spend sometime with me tonight, outside of the Running Horse?"

"What are you planning?" I asked. "You know I don't really like surprises."

"You'll like this one, I promise." Edward smirked. "If it's an issue we can have Alice and Jasper come with us. I know that even though this isn't a big city, reputations still mean a lot."

"Unfortunately you're right." I sighed. "I'll tell Malory so she'll know she's taking over. It shouldn't be an issue."

"I'll come down a little before sunset, if that's alright?"

"That's fine. I'll get some of the early birds taken care of then. Won't I have to change?"

"Personally I could care less because I think you're beautiful either way, but if you would like to then I could have Alice pick something out for you while you work. She's known for her fashion sense."

"Um alright, but I don't have much for her to work with." I replied.

"Don't worry, she'll work her magic and you'll see." Edward grinned. "I will see you this evening then. I need to go finish talking to Alice and Jasper about a few things."

"Of course." I replied. Edward smiled and I thought he was going to leave when he bent down. He stopped mere inches from the skin of my cheek, but then his lips pressed against it. Sparks shot through my body from the simple contact and I gasped lightly. His lips were quite cold, which surprised me, but it was still the sparks that woke my body up. Edward stood back up straight and bowed his head slightly before turning and walking back upstairs.

I stood there for a few minutes, my hand lightly covering the spot where he had kissed my cheek. Come to think about it, I had never shaken his hand or held it, but I guess that was normal for propriety's sake. Eventually I shook out of my stupor and walked over to the kitchen in hopes of finding Malory. Of course when I actually wanted to talk to her she disappeared. I swear she has learned a few lessons from her kids…

"What are you looking for?" Malory asked, coming up behind me and scaring me.

"I was looking for you." I said. "Can you look after the inn tonight?"

"Why? Are you and Edward going out?"

"Uh… yes. His sister and her husband will be coming with us."

"So what should I tell your father if he comes by?"

"I'll make him a dinner in hopes he doesn't." I said.

"Alright, well this will give us some good practice for when you leave, right?"

"Actually… I'm not leaving with Edward on this trip. Apparently some things have come up with his family so he's going back to help with that and then come back to see me."

"How does he know something has happened? Did a messenger come that we didn't see?" Malory asked.

"Um… I don't know. That's a good question." I shrugged.

"Alright, well that will give you some time to tell Dara and for her to adjust as well." Malory said. "Now, don't you have a dinner to go get ready?"

"Uh ya… I'll see you when I get back." I said.

I quickly got a few things out in the kitchen and went about cooking Charlie a dinner. I ended up making him a hamburger and some fries. I was going to try and sneak a salad in there, but I knew that I needed him to be happy so he wouldn't find the need to come check up on me. As soon as the food was done I grabbed Charlie a beer and packed everything up. Charlie was sitting behind his desk as usual, almost falling asleep. I snuck in and set the dinner in front of him before gently shaking him away.

"Hey Bells." Charlie smiled before stretching his arms above his head.

"Sleeping on duty, Dad?" I joked.

"Never!" He argued. That's when he spotted the dinner. He instantly grabbed the bag and looked in. "Fries and a burger? I thought you wanted me to go on a diet?"

"I figured you needed a break…" I shrugged.

"I'm guessing Mr. Cullen talked to you then." Charlie asked as he unwrapped his burger.

"He did." I said.

"So when are you leaving with him?" I shouldn't have been surprised that Edward talked to Charlie, but I was.

"Actually he has to go home and help his family with some things. He didn't know till his sister talked to him this afternoon. He's coming back after that." I said.

"Are you ok with that?" Charlie asked.

"Of course!" I said. "You know I'd put you over him and I wouldn't expect him to place me above his family ever."

"That's the Bella I know." Charlie grinned. "I think I'm going to go to bed after I close up here. You won't mind me not stopping by?"

"No, it's alright." I said. "Long day?"

"Long boring day." Charlie said.

"Alright, well get some rest. I'll see you tomorrow." I said.

"Sounds good." Charlie said. I kissed his cheek before walking out of the sheriff's station. I smiled to myself as soon as I was out. That wasn't nearly as hard as I expected it to be…

As soon as I walked into the door of the Running Horse I was nearly attacked by Alice. She pounced as soon as I got too close. I was instantly led up to my room where the closet had been thrown open. Alice was talking to herself as she went through my clothes. Actually, come to think of it, she hadn't said anything to me. She'd just dragged me up here and I had dutifully followed.

"I really need to take you shopping…" Alice muttered. "But I do believe this will do!"

Alice pulled out a light purple dress and laid it out on the table. She looked up at me expectantly and I figured she meant for me to start getting ready now. Before I knew it, Alice was unlacing the back of my dress and helping me lace up the dress she had picked up. The small pixie then attacked my hair, pulling half of it into a bun while leaving the rest to fall.

"Aw, you look so beautiful! Come on, let's go get Edward and Jasper!" Alice grinned. She pulled me back downstairs and over to the room I knew Edward was staying in. Before she could knock Edward opened the door.

"What do you need, Alice… Bella?" Edward asked. His eyes traveled up and down the ensemble Alice had me in and I blushed. Alice had let go of my hand so I was now wringing them in front of me.

"Your sister got her hands on me." I said quietly.

"Apparently." He laughed. "I'm sorry, I should have warned you."

"It's alright… I survived." I shrugged.

"Ya, this time." He muttered. "I'm guessing you're ready."

"Unless your sister has something else planned." I looked next to me and noticed Alice had disappeared. She was a few steps down the hall, talking and giggling quietly with Jasper. Jasper was completely enraptured with her and I was captured for a second by their love. I was brought back to reality when I felt Edward's hand on my back. I silently noted how his hand felt slightly cool, just like his lips.

"I doubt that." Edward said. "Come on, we can meet them outside. I've seen them act like that for hours."

"Alright." I said.

Edward kept his hand on the small of my back as he led me downstairs. He even kept it there as we walked through the dining room. I instantly lit up with a blush as I noticed every person look at Edward's hand and then up at the two of us. Edward didn't seem phased, if anything he liked it. As soon as we got outside we remained in the view of anyone looking out the front windows. Edward removed his hand, but replaced it with his arm. He casually draped it across my waist and he leaned up against a column. Jessica came walking up with Lauren at her side and stopped dead in her tracks. Edward looked at them casually and pulled me closer.

"I told you he was interested in you." Alice chirped as she floated outside. The girls sneered, but moved in.

"Are we ready? It's almost sunset." Alice said.

"We were just waiting for you two to rejoin us in this world." Edward teased. The love that the Cullen family shined when Edward was with his sister. It made me wish I had a sibling…

"Very funny." Edward sighed.

"So, where are we going?" I asked.

"You'll see… I told you it was a surprise." Edward said. He took my hand and stepped off the porch. I followed next to him, gripping onto his hand thinking he'd be gone if I ever let go. Edward seemed to notice and he would squeeze my hand reassuringly and smile down at me.

The walk took a good fifteen minutes through a trail I forgotten about. I had stumbled my way over the roots until Edward got tired of it and picked me up easily. He picked me up bridal style and continued on as though he was carrying a feather instead of a human. Eventually we broke through the trees into a clear pasture. The wild grass was still green, although some was turning brown. Edward set me down and stood next to me, apparently waiting for me to do something.

"Edward, this is beautiful. I can't believe I've never found this place and I've lived here all my life. Then you're here only a handful of days and found it!"

"I found it when I was walking with Alice and Jasper this morning." Edward said.

"Speaking of those two… where are they?" I asked. Alice and Jasper had conveniently disappeared. I couldn't even hear them walking around.

"They've run off… don't worry, they'll be back when we're heading back." Edward said. "Alice figured we could spend some time to ourselves."

"I like the way your sister thinks." I said.

We walked out into the middle of the field and I looked up at the sky. Edward came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist. I know he only asked me today, but it seemed as though we had been courting for a while. I ran my hands over Edward's, causing him to stop. His hands really were ice cold.

"Edward? Why are your hands so cold?" I asked.

"I have slow blood flow to my hands." He said quietly. "Carlisle, my father, he made sure it was fine when we first found out."

"So you aren't really affected by it?"

"Not really. I mean they're cold, but that's it." He said. "Look, it's twilight… my favorite time of day."

"Mmmm…" I said. I rested my head on his shoulder as I watched the light fizzle out. Edward pulled me into the middle of the field and we lay down in the grass. I used his shoulder as a pillow and played with a few pieces of grass. Most of the evening was spent in silence. We went through the twenty questions to get to know each other, but after that we were quiet.

I was half asleep when Edward shot up. Before I knew what was going on he was standing up and greeting Alice who was running over to us with Jasper right next to her. Her face was quite worried and I was soon standing up next to Edward.

"We have to go, now." Edward said.

"What? Why?" I asked. I was actually enjoying my time with Edward and didn't want it to end so soon.

"Just trust us, please Bella." Alice begged. Her eyes were constantly scanning the area as though she was expecting something to jump out at us.

"Alright… I'm coming." I said. Edward swept me into his arms once more, Jasper doing the same with Alice. Instead of walking out of the clearing, Edward started to run. I wrapped my arms around his neck and buried myself in his chest. I spent most of the run inhaling his scent, which seemed to calm me down.

"Bella, I have to let you down. We're almost back to Forks." Edward said.

"Ok." I said. I reluctantly let go of Edward's neck and set my feet down. Alice was holding onto Jasper's hand and still looking around nervously. Edward's face was hard and it seemed as though he was ready to fight. It was the same face I'd seen when he had confronted Jacob and Sam.

"Edward? What's going on?" I asked.

"We heard the wolves." Alice explained. "We just didn't want to get caught out there."

"I'm sorry Bella, I shouldn't have kept us out that long. I lost track of the time and we could have gotten caught…" Edward sighed. He ran a hand through his hair and growled slightly.

"Edward, it's alright. We're fine. The wolves wouldn't come this close to town." I said.

"Let's hope." Edward sighed. "Come on, let's get back. I think we're all tired."

"Definitely." Alice said. She pulled Jasper along and they disappeared into the inn.

"Bella, I just want to say-"

"Edward, it's fine. I didn't even think I'd get that much time with you before you left." I said.

"I'll be back before you know it." Edward said. He took my hand and we walked into the inn. Once more we were the center of attention until we disappeared into the sanctuary of our rooms. I said goodnight to Edward on the in front of the stairs for the third floor. He gave me another hug and kiss on the cheek before walking down the hall and into his room. I followed suit and walked up to my room. I don't think I've ever gotten ready for bed that slow, but I wanted to saver every second of that night.

Right before falling asleep for the night I heard them… the wolves. Their howls sent chills down my back, but I still felt safe knowing Edward was downstairs.

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**A/N**- I know, a 2nd author's not... Sorry, but I would just like to say... Please click that review button right under this note and let me know what you think!


	7. Bad News and Warnings

**A/N**- Hello everyone! So I'm updating super early because it's a holiday and I have some time. So… since I'm updating early I'd love to get some more reviews!

**Romance4ever**- Yup, officially a couple! I'm glad you're enjoying it AND reviewing all the time!

* * *

Edward had come in to say goodbye before leaving this morning. I must have been sleeping light since I hear the knock on the door even though it was so soft. I had my robe ready and quickly slipped it on before opening the door. Edward was standing there with his head tilted down slightly.

"It's already time for you to go?" I asked.

"It is." Edward nodded. "I'm sorry I had to cut this trip shorter than expected."

"It's understandable." I replied softly. "I wouldn't want you to forget about your family just for me."

"I don't know what I did to deserve you coming into my life…" Edward sighed with a slight smile. "But I will forever be trying to be worthy of it."

"You're such a romantic, but it's a nice change. It's nice to know I'm not the only one." I said.

"Usually it's not a good thing for men to be romantics." Edward laughed. "But I'll take it as a compliment."

"You should." I said.

"Um… I should be going… Alice isn't very patient."

"I'll walk downstairs with you." I quickly volunteered. I slipped on a pair of slippers before walking into the hallway with Edward and walking downstairs with him.

We were silent as we walked to the flights of stairs, neither of us quite sure what to say. Outside, the moon hung low in the sky, but no light broke the horizon yet. I really don't understand why Edward would want to travel so early in the morning, becoming so vulnerable, but I really wasn't about to challenge him. Alice and Jasper were standing by the three horses that stood quietly in front of the Inn. The horses almost looked asleep and not ready for a full day's ride while their riders couldn't be more awake. Alice surprised me the most by being in a pair of men's trousers. She made enough noise the first time she arrived in pants, I'm happy the rest of the town was asleep so they wouldn't see her wearing pants again.

"Like I said before, I will try to be back as soon as I can." Edward said.

"And as I've told you, don't leave your family behind just because of me." I said. "I'll be here waiting."

Edward didn't seem to know what to do next (nor did I), but ended up picking up my hand and bringing it to his lips. "I will see you in a few days. Be safe."

"I'll try." I said. Edward gave me a stern look and I corrected my statement. "I promise."

Edward took a few steps back before turning and mounting his horse. Alice waved from her own horse while Jasper simply nodded. I smiled and waved at them both before wrapping my robe around me tighter as the wind started to pick up. Alice and Jasper kicked their horses into an immediate trot while Edward remained where he was for a few minutes before allowing his horse to catch up to the others. I remained outside till they were completely engulfed by the trees. I finally turned and walked back into the inn a few moments after they had disappeared. I locked the doors once more before walking back upstairs and getting a few more hours of sleep.

oOoOoOo

I had woken up around noon, surprising myself that I had slept so much. I sat in bed for a few minutes thinking about Edward leaving this morning and Dara coming back tonight. I groaned as I looked at the clock one more time before getting out of the bed and finally getting ready for the day. I was still tying my hair up when I walked downstairs. Malory was humming to herself as she cleaned some glasses behind the bar.

"Good morning." Malory said. "I mean afternoon."

"Afternoon." I replied. I took one of the glasses she had just finished before filling it with a glass of milk and sitting down. Malory placed an egg sandwich in front of me, mumbling something about brunch. "How'd you get in?"

"I have a key. Dara made it for me a while ago, although this is the first time I've ever used it." Malory said. "So did you stay up late or did you wake up early and go back to sleep?"

"I think you know the answer to that." I said. Malory laughed and nodded.

"Broken heart?"

"Not completely. I know he's coming back." I said.

"That's my girl." Malory grinned.

I got up from the bar and walking into the kitchen to see what I needed to get from the market today. I made a mental list pretty quickly before gathering some money and telling Malory I'd be back. The stores were relatively empty and I was able to spend a few minutes talking to Angela since no one was in her store. We talked about her engagement and her current plans. Although they haven't set a date, Angela was thinking about a fall wedding next year. That way she would be able to work on a dress and get everything ready for a ceremony. She asked me about Edward as well and his sudden departure and I explained he had some family business to attend to. Angela nodded and said she understood that since Ben had traveled a little bit with his father during their entire relationship. He was apparently going to slow down and stay home till after the wedding.

After departing from Angela's family store I made my way to a few other stores. I didn't spend as much time in any and by the time I was done I had my arms completely full. There were even a few bags hanging off my arms and hitting my skirt as I walked. I decided to take a break on my way home and stopped by to see Charlie. As soon as I walked inside, I dropped my groceries and took a breath.

"Got enough there Bells?" Charlie asked from behind his desk.

"Never." I replied. "Sorry, no lunch today. I only woke up a few hours ago."

"Malory taking care of the inn?"

"I think she really enjoys it." I said.

"That's good. Before she was hired she always seemed so bored at home. She's like you and Dara… can't sit still."

"There's no fun if you sit still." I said.

"But you'd be safer." Charlie said. I rolled my eyes and shook my head. I'm becoming pretty sick of being telling me to be safe and the only one I really wanted to listen to was Edward. "So Dara's coming back today?"

"Ya, she should be here in the early evening." I replied.

"You should take a break and relax for a bit. A lot has gone on these past few days." Charlie said.

"How do you feel about Edward? Like really feel about him?"

"How am I supposed to feel?" Charlie asked. "I think he'll be able to protect and provide for you, but you're my only little girl. I don't exactly want to see you go."

"But you don't want me to grow old by myself."

"Exactly. Being a father is harder than it works." Charlie sighed.

I nodded and sighed. We were silent for a few minutes, just enjoying each other's company, when the pounding of hooves interrupted everything. The two of us were instantly outside. Justin looked as though he had seen a ghost. His face was pale and he was clinging onto his horse as though his life depended on it. Another horse came stampeding it, but it had no rider. A few of the other men stopped the horse and calmed him down.

"Justin, what happened? Where's Dara?" Charlie asked.

"I… I'm not sure. Chase spooked and she fell. I was going back to help her when my own horse ran off. I couldn't get him to slow down. Then we heard howling. Their were wolves!"

"You left me daughter to the wolves!" Henry growled. Charlie stepped in front of his friend and stopped him before he could get his hands on the younger man. "I should kill you! You asked my permission to court my daughter and you leave her to die!"

"Henry, calm down!" Charlie urged. "Leroy, take the horses back to Justin's father. Justin, Henry, come back to the station where we can talk about all of this."

"Justin…" I whispered as he walked past. He looked at me sadly before hanging his head and walking past me. I hurried after the group and tried to sit down, but Charlie stopped me.

"Bella, go back to the inn. I'll let you know what's going on once we've figured everything out."

"But Charlie!" I cried.

"Go back, Bella." He said.

I looked at everyone who had gathered in the station before gathering my things and quickly walking back to the inn. I made it back within minutes only to be greeted by a frantic Malory.

"Is it true?" Malory asked. "Is Dara gone?"

"I don't want to talk about it till Charlie gets here." I sighed. "Help me put these things away. We're closing the inn tonight."

Malory nodded and with her help, everything was put in the proper place quickly. We both sat down at the table closest to the door, waiting for Charlie to come and let us know what was happening. Juilet Cavalo walked I first. Her hair was completely messed up and her make up was smudged. It was clearly evident that she had been crying. Malory instantly got up, but signaled for me to stay sitting. She wrapped her arms around Mrs. Cavalo before taking her up to one of the guest rooms to freshen up. I continued to sit at the table waiting for Charlie to come…

Malory and Mrs. Cavalo were able to return before Charlie arrived. I fixed Mrs. Cavalo a cup of tea while Malory sat down with her. We were quiet as we waited for Charlie, all of us just taking small sips of our tea. Charlie did end up coming, but he had obviously been home and had changed. He was strapping his gun belt onto his waist.

"Charlie, what's going on?" I asked.

"We're going out to look for Dara. Justin left the cart there as well so we're going to go look for her." Charlie explained. "I want all of you to stay inside. Bella, I want you to stay at home tonight, that way I'll know you're safe."

"Are you sure Jusitn just doesn't want to go back and look for the things he left? I should never have let Dara go off with him. I should have forced them to take a chaperone or someone…" Mrs. Cavalo said.

"Calm down, Juliet." Malory said. "I'm sure they'll find her."

"But what if they don't? Chief Swan, what will happen to Justin if they don't find her?" Juliet asked.

"We haven't gotten that far yet, Juliet." Charlie said. "Bells, I want you home before sunset. There's a rifle by the door, use it if you have to."

"Of course." I said. Charlie patted my shoulder before nodding to Malory and Juliet and walking out.

"Let's all get home." Malory said. "Juliet, do you want to stay with me? I'm sure Henry will be going out with the search party."

"No, I want to be home. Dara will come home… I want to be there when she does." Juliet said. "Thank you for the tea. It's helped calm my nerves."

"If you need anything, don't hesitate to find us." I said.

"Of course dear. At least I still have one of my daughters here." Mrs. Cavalo said. She patted my hand before gathering her purse and walking out the door.

"I'm going to make sure she gets home alright." Malory said. She gave me a hug before walking out and chasing after Mrs. Cavalo.

I quickly wrote a note explaining that due to unforeseen and unexpected circumstances the Running Horse would be closed till further notice. I walked home even though it was still light outside, I didn't feel like dealing with anyone who would show up early. Today had just been so long to deal with someone who had already been drinking or were focused on getting drunk.

"Bella, are you alright?" Angela asked as she ran over to me.

"I'm fine." I replied with a pathetic smile. "Where's Ben?"

"He went with everyone else to go look for Dara. I thought that I'd come and keep you company until your Dad got back." Angela said. "Do you want me to cook dinner?"

"I can do it. Just because Dara's missing doesn't mean I'm completely helpless." I sighed.

"I know, but I figured I could help." Angela said. "Why don't we just talk then? You can help me pick out a design for my dress! I just got a few magazines from Jessica."

"Alright…" I said. I opened the front door to the small house the Charlie and I had. I pointed Angela to the living room before grabbing two glasses of water. By the time I got back, Angela had all of her wedding magazines spread out on the table. "Should I get scissors? We could cut what we like out and then mix and match until we've found the right dress."

"That's a great idea!" Angela said. I placed the glasses down and found some scissors in an old desk that was in the next room. I brought them back over and picked up a magazine to begin looking for the right dresses.

For the rest of the afternoon, Angela and I went through the magazines. It ended up being a lot of fun, and I must say Angela had a pretty good eye for fashion. We not only had a wedding dress by the end of the night, but bride maid's dresses as well as a dress for her mother.

"Angela, I don't know how you'll be able to make all of these…" I said.

"No one comes to the store so I'll have time to work on it there." Angela said. "Plus I can work on it at nights."

"If you need any help, let me know." I said.

"Of course!" Angela said. "You think I'd let Victoria or any of those girls around my wedding dress? O, by I wanted to ask you something. Will you be my maid of honor?"

"Of course!" I said. "I'm so happy you asked to!"

"Thank you. I also want Dara to be a bridesmaid when she gets back." Angela said.

"She'd love to, you know that." I said. "And she will be back… She probably just got lost in the forest or something. The search party will find her, you'll see."

"I can't believe you're so positive about all of this. I would have guessed that you would be affected the most." Angela said.

"I know she's not dead… Dara's like my sister. I'd know if she was dead." I said.

"Let's hope so…" Angela said.

We sat in silence for a few minutes. I idly played with the edge of the couch and the bottom of my dress while Angela made a few changes to the dresses we had created. She also started looking through the jewelry even though she knew she wouldn't be able to buy most of it. We both jumped when Charlie came into the house. He sat down heavily in one of the chairs and I could tell things did not go well.

"I'll talk to you tomorrow, alright?" Angela asked as she gathered her things.

"Of course. I'll stop by the store." I said. I walked her to the door and smiled my goodbye. I shut the door lightly as Angela started walking down the street. As soon as the door closed I turned my attention to Charlie.

"Dad?" I asked quietly.

"I'm sorry Bella… we didn't find her. We didn't even find a trace of her." Charlie said.

"What about everything on the cart?"

"Most of it had been taken. It appears that someone came across the cart and took whatever they pleased."

"Which was?"

"All of Dara and Justin's luggage, but nothing that Justin had gone to the city for. Some of the others are bringing the cart back now." Charlie sighed.

"Do you think Dara could be with these others?" I asked.

"We don't know…" Charlie said. "If she is, let's hope they're nice to her and will bring her back."

"You're thinking of something else…" I asked.

"Bella… I hate to say it, but I would doubt that if someone picked up Dara, that they'd be nice. Chances are they were thieves and they aren't exactly known for their great reputation."

"I know, but I don't want to think about it that way." I sighed.

"None of us do, but it is probably reality." Charlie said. "We'll head back out tomorrow. We saw some tracks, both human and wolf, so we'll see if we can follow them somewhere."

"The inn will stay close then. I'm guessing I'm to remain home?"

"Please Bella. I just don't want anything else to happen."

"This place needs to be cleaned up anyway. My day should still be pretty busy."

"Hey! The house is pretty clean!" Charlie said.

"It's so dusty, Dad. It looks like you barely live here." I said as I rolled my eyes.

"Well…"

"I know, I know. You don't spend a lot of time here because I'm gone and you have work."

"It would be nice to air this place out though." Charlie agreed. "We're leaving pretty early in the morning though. You'll probably still be sleeping. I'll leave you a note or something."

"When will you get back?" I asked.

"Probably around the same time." Charlie shrugged.

"Well, I'm going to go ahead and start dinner. I'll have it ready for you tomorrow as well."

"Thanks Bells. I'm going to go take a shower." Charlie said. I nodded and started looking around the kitchen for something to make.

As I expected, there was nothing in the kitchen. I sighed and knew I had no choice, but to go back to the Inn and take some of the food from there. I heard the shower running and decided the trip should be quick enough that I'd be back before Charlie made it downstairs again. I quickly grabbed my cloak and stepped outside. My steps were quick, almost at a jogging pace. I really didn't want to make Charlie worry more than he had to. I made it to the inn with no problem and slipped inside. The building was so eerie being so dark. I was so used to people being here all of the time and now it was completely quiet. I went through the cabinets and freezers and pulled out everything I needed. I had everything packed and ready to go within a couple minutes and was ready to head back.

"Bella?"

"Alice?" I asked, peering into the dark. I knew it was her voice, but I couldn't see her. Maybe I was just imagining things. It has been a long day.

"Bella, good I found you!" Alice said. She nearly knocked into me as she came rushing out of the shadows.

"Alice, what are you doing here? I thought you went home? Is Edward here?" I asked.

"Sorry, no. It's just Jasper and I."

"You mean you left Edward to go home alone? Does he know you're here? Does he think you're missing?"

"You know, you worry too much. Edward will be fine, he's traveled a lot by himself. He thinks Jasper and I took some time to ourselves. But that's not what I've come to talk to you about! Stop distracting me! Bella, I need you to stay at your house and not come back to inn no matter what."

"I was already planning to." I said.

"Are you sure? Do you have food in there for dinner for tomorrow?" Alice asked. I looked at everything and realized she was right.

"Follow me." I said. I started back to the kitchen to grab more food. "Why can't I come back?"

"Just trust me on this one, please." Alice said. "I just don't have a good feeling about right now and I know if you're home and not here then everything will be fine."

"Um… alright." I said.

"Also, Dara's fine. You shouldn't worry about her. You'll see her soon, don't worry." I said.

"Really? Alice, what do you know? Please, tell me what you know!" I begged.

"Bella… I know I'm being cryptic, but you just need to listen to what I say. I can't tell you anymore. If Edward knew I was here he'd probably try and kill me… not that he could." Alice grinned. "Be careful and we'll be back in a few days."

"Of course and thank you for everything." I said.

"Your welcome! See you soon!" Alice said. She walked out with me and stood next to me as I locked the door, but was gone as soon as I started home. I shrugged and thought about what she said. I couldn't help, but feel comforted about her news on Dara, but I wasn't quite sure what she meant about not coming to the inn.

"Bella! Where were you?" My father came running down the street, almost running me over.

"I went to the inn. You have no food." I said. He then looked down and noticed all of the food in my arms.

"You should have left or note or waited till I was done in the shower." Charlie said. He took some of the food from me and started walking back home with me.

"I know, but I thought I'd be home before you came back downstairs. Then I ran into Angela and we talked just for a minute or two and it held me up longer than I thought." I explained.

"Just leave a note next time… actually, while I'm not home, don't go anywhere."

"I told you, I have to clean your house. Plus, I haven't read some of the books that are in my room since I moved out." I shrugged. Charlie nodded his head and opened the door for me when we reached the house. He brought everything to the kitchen before returning to the living room to do whatever he did in there. Ever since I had taken over dinners when I was younger, Charlie had left me alone while I cooked. It was something I liked since I didn't have to worry about what he was doing. Dinner was a quiet affair. Neither of us really wanted to talk about Dara anymore since it seemed such a dismal topic, well mainly for Charlie. I was still mulling over Alice's words.

That night I looked out to the forest from my window. Is at there for a few minutes wondering where Dara and Edward were and what they were doing. Luckily I had Alice's prophecies to keep me confident and help me fall asleep…


	8. More Bad News

**A/N**- Hey everyone! So I'm thrilled FF decided to start working again because I leave TONIGHT for my conference and I wasn't sure if I'd be able to update. Anyway, here's the next chapter! Enjoy!

**Romance4ever**- You'll just have to see what happens to the Inn and Bella… At least you should relax some when it comes to Dara since you're also reading KD now.

**Lcogle**- You'll just have to see if Bella decided to listen to Alice…. Thanks for the review as always!

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Charlie did end up leaving before I woke up. He left me a note in the kitchen, which just repeated that he'd be back a little after sunset. After reading the note, I grabbed a few pieces of bread and started formulating a plan for what I would be doing today. I knew that cleaning the house would take at least half of the day, if not a little bit more. Then there were some books that I had put aside to read today as well. Finally, I'd have to make dinner for Charlie so it would be ready when he got home.

As soon as I had finished my breakfast, I found everything that I need to clean the house. I started dusting each room and then swept the floors. By the early afternoon I had the entire house clean. I kept the windows open to make sure it got out since a few of the rooms were filled with stale air. I took some time to enjoy the quiet before finding a book and curling up with it. I nearly jumped off the couch when the door slammed open. Charlie still wasn't due home for a few more hours so it shouldn't have been home. Then again no one else would rush in so quickly. I walked over the front hall and noticed the door open, but no one around.

"Bella!" I spun around to see Malory breathing heavily and coming out of the bedroom.

"What are you doing here, Malory? Did something happen? O god, are your kids alright?" I asked.

"They're fine, but the Running Horse is has been ransacked." Malory said.

"WHAT?" I yelled.

"The windows are broken and the door is off the hinges. There are tables and seats thrown everywhere."

"The money?"

"It's still there, surprisingly enough. I took out all of the money and I have it here for you." Malory pulled out the money and gave it to me. I quickly walked into the kitchen and found a plain container to put all of the money in. "We have to get to the Inn… I didn't check the other floors."

"The private floor…" I thought out loud. Dara and I had a lot of personal trinkets and other items filled with memories in there. Losing the smallest thing from those rooms could be worse than the rest of the damage.

"Has someone gone to catch up with the search party to let them know?" I asked.

"Yes, it's the first thing I did. They should be there a little after we get back." Malory said.

"Alright, let's go." I said. I paused slightly as I thought back to Alice warning. Is this what she was talking about? Did she do this? No, of course Alice didn't do it… but how would she know? I brushed off all of my feelings before continuing on. There would be others around so there shouldn't be an immediate threat and I would have Charlie and Malory with me.

When we made it to the inn, I first noticed the crowd that stood around it. It was mostly women since the men were out on the search or working. Luckily, Chef was at the door holding one of his knives and threatening anyone who came close to trying to get in. When he saw us he smiled slightly before stepping aside.

Inside was a complete mess. Malory wasn't kidding when she said that chairs had been thrown everywhere and tables were overturned. One of the taps behind the bar and been pushed on. Beer was splattered all over the floor and I could tell some of the floor would have to be replaced. A few glasses had been broken, but most were still intact. The kitchen still looked pretty good, but I had cleaned that out before closing up the last time. Malory was shadowing me, going through some of the damages. We made it through the debris up to the second floor. I checked each of the rooms. The two that Edward and Alice had been staying in were completely torn apart. The bedding was completely shredded, the feathers from the pillows were everywhere, and the mirrors had been broken. Yet, the other rooms that Jacob and his friends had been in were still completely intact.

"Getting an idea of who did it?" Malory asked when she noticed me thinking in front of one of the rooms.

"Possibly." I sighed. "Let's keep going."

We walked up to the final floor. I held my breath as I walked to my room first. I opened the door and released a sigh of relief. Everything was perfectly fine. All of my trinkets were all still sitting in their proper places. My bed was still made and my dresser just like I left it. I closed the door, thankful that my room was fine. I moved back down the hall to Dara's room and opened it. The bed was overturned and one of the bookshelves had been thrown to the ground. Everything Bella had on the shelves were thrown to the floor. I stepped inside and picked up the small items, thankful none of them were broken.

"Bella, the sitting room has also been thrown apart, but nothing is broken in there." Malory said.

"Nothing is broken in here. We should be able to get these two rooms cleaned up pretty quick." I said.

"You want to start now?" Malory asked.

"BELLA!"

Great, Charlie's here… Time to go talk to my overly protective father.

"I guess we'll start later. Come down and help me with Charlie?" I asked Malory. She nodded and walked downstairs with me.

Charlie was setting up some of the chairs and throwing those that couldn't be saved in another pile. He had a scowl on his face and was muttering under his breath. I sighed and looked at Malory for support before walking over to him.

"Hey Dad." I said quietly.

"Bella, are you alright? You weren't here when this happen, were you? Please tell me you weren't…"

"No Dad, I was back home like I promised you. Malory came to get me while I was reading. I've only been here for 10 or 15 minutes."

"Did they take any money or anything valuable?" Charlie asked.

"I don't think it was a person, Charlie." I said.

"Why not?"

"Some of the rooms upstairs have been shredded. Come and see for yourself." I said. I led Charlie up to the second floor and showed him the two rooms that were now disaster zones. Charlie walked in past me and picked up one sheet. Sure enough it looked as though something had chewed and clawed it.

"Didn't you say you had heard some wolves earlier?" Charlie asked.

"I haven't heard them in a week or so." I said.

"Just because you haven't heard them doesn't mean they didn't do this. I'm just surprised wolves would crash through windows. Usually they only go into buildings that have open windows or doors." Charlie said.

"It's the only thing I can think of." I said.

"What other rooms did they get into?" Charlie asked.

"Just these two on this floor. Then they got into the sitting room and Dara's room upstairs. Those rooms just had a few things knocked over so they won't be hard to put back together." I explained.

"The inn will be closed for a few weeks, you realize this right Bells?" Charlie asked.

"Ya, I know. Malory and I were going to start cleaning up so we know what's been completely destroyed and what we can save. Then tomorrow I guess we'll go and see Mr. Sobbs to order some more furniture."

"You're staying home still. You can be here during the day with Malory and Chef and possibly a few others, but I don't want you to be here alone." Charlie said.

"I don't want to be. I find it to be too creepy here now." I said.

"Finally, some sort of self preservation is coming through in you." Charlie said. He wrapped an arm around my shoulders and pulled me into a hug. "I'm going to go round up a few volunteers to board up the windows. I don't want Chef to be out there threatening people with a knife longer than he needs to be."

"Wait, Dad, anything happen today?" I asked.

"Nothing. A few more wolf tracks, some human tracks, deer tracks, and other animals. Considering what these wolves did here, if it was even them… It's just not looking good." Charlie sighed. He patted my shoulder as he walked past me.

His words were so contrasting to Alice's. I feel as though Edward's sister could be trusted, but I also wanted to believe my father. I just don't know what to expect anymore...

Malory and I had finished cleaning up the top floor and started working on the dining room while Charlie and a few others boarded up the broken windows. Luckily, most of the chairs and tables were fine. A few were scratched, but I'm sure that someone will help us sand those down and fix them. By nightfall, Charlie and I were completely exhausted. I made a few simple sandwiches for dinner, which Charlie and I ate in almost complete silence. Forks used to be so quiet, but now it seemed as though everyday something happened.

oOoOoOo

The next three days were relatively calm for Malory and I. We continued to fix the Inn with minimal conversation. Charlie had decided to go out only once more to see what they could find. Unfortunately they only found less than they ever had. Charlie called off the search last night, causing Mrs. Cavalo to go into hysterics. Mr. Cavalo cried as well and buried his head in his wife's hair. They disappeared relatively quickly and no one heard from them for a day. Then notices went out for a funeral for Dara.

oOoOoOo

I found a simple black and grey dress for the funeral service buried deep in the closet. I was forced to fix a few aspects of the dress since it was older and I had changed since the last time I wore it. I also ended up helping Charlie with his ensemble as well. He needed some help because he had gained weight over the last few years.

We walked slowly to the Cavalo's ranch. Everything was so somber and dreary. I really hated moods like this and the last time I had been around one was when my mom had died when I was younger. Sure, a few people from Forks had died since then, but I've never known them or felt as deeply for them as I have for Dara and my mother. I hugged Mrs. Cavalo tightly when we got to the house. Her eyes were red, but her makeup was flawless as usual.

"I wish it didn't happen like this." I whispered.

"None of us do." Mrs. Cavalo whispered. "Bella, we want you to take the Inn. You had always been Dara's partner… you should have it."

"Mrs. Cavalo…" I said quietly. "I don't know… I don't think I could run it as smoothly as Dara did."

"Nonsense! You've done an amazing job. I'm sure you would run it exactly the way Dara would." She said.

"May I have some time to think about it? We're still cleaning it up and repairing everything." I said.

"Of course, dear. Take as long as you need." Mrs. Cavalo said. I smiled my thanks.

Mr. Cavalo was standing next to her and wrapped her arms around her. Charlie shook his hand, but they were both frowning. Mr. Cavalo's eyes were slightly red, but not as red as his wife's. I smiled sadly up at Mr. Cavalo before heading deeper into the house. Angela was there, and sitting with the harpies. She actually looked affected by everything while the others seemed as though they were waiting for the perfect moment to escape. When Angela saw me she stood up and walked over, giving me a hug.

When everyone had arrived we all headed to the back, past the farm land to a small grassy hill. Up on top was a tree ready to be planted. A hole had already been dug so we were all knew that the tree was going to be Dara's grave marker. Everyone gathered around and we listened in complete silence as a few people spoke. Mr. and Mrs. Cavalo had asked me to speak and I hadn't really thought about it. I was now regretting it. I stepped up and sighed as I gathered my words.

"Dara was… Dara. There has never been nor will ever be anyone like her. She didn't care what others thought and went about every day just being herself. She was my closest friend, my sister that I never had. I always looked to Dara as someone to lean on and she's come to me. I sometimes thought… think that she knows me better than I know myself. She was so happy when she found out she was going to Blythe for the first time. I will always remember her like she was the night before she left, overflowing with happiness… I miss you Dara…"

I stepped back and returned to my father's side. A few more people, including Malory and Justin spoke. Apparently Justin had asked Dara if he could court him and she only said yes a few hours before the attack. I noticed Dara's father glaring at him when he said this. At the end, Mr. Cavalo set the tree into the hole and packed the sand in around it. Everyone was silent for a minute or two, honoring Dara's memory.

As I turned back to leave, I noticed Edward standing casually next to his horse on the side of the road. He looked remorseful, probably from the mood surrounding the farm. I noticed the harpies noticed him as well and they were now getting ready to go talk to him. I quickly told Charlie that I was going to go talk to Edward and he nodded. I quickly cut the harpies off, meeting Edward a few steps ahead of them. They huffed and stuck their chins in the hair as they walked off.

"I wasn't expecting you for a few more days." I said quietly.

"I heard about Dara and then about the inn. I thought I should come back early." He said.

"You left your family, didn't you?" I asked. He said nothing, but looked at the ground. "Edward, I told you not to abandon your family for me."

"I wasn't planning on being gone long. Are you heading home now with your father?" Edward asked.

"I believe so." I replied.

"I know it's rude to invite myself, but may I join you?" Edward asked.

"Of course. Just beware of Charlie. He hasn't been in the best moods since everything has happened." I warned. Edward nodded and allowed walked next to me back to where my father was talking to some people.

"Edward, it's good to see you." Charlie said.

"I wish I could have returned in better times." Edward replied.

"We all do, son, we all do." Charlie said.

"Dad, Edward wanted to walk home with us, is that fine?" I asked.

"Of course. How long are you planning on staying?" Charlie asked.

"I wasn't sure, but probably not long. That's why I wanted to talk to you, sir." Edward said.

"Of course…" Charlie said. We all started walking back after saying goodbye to everyone.

Edward was so close as we walked home that it seemed as though there was barely a breath between our hands. We walked in silence until we got back to the house. Charlie showed Edward where he could keep his horse before following me in. I put away our jackets and cleared off the kitchen table. I gave Charlie a beer before meeting Edward at the door and taking his jacket. I lead him into the kitchen and showed him where to sit. I sat between my father and Edward, waiting for Edward to say what he had to say.

"Chief Swan, I asked you if Bella could accompany me home the last time I was here, but I did not get the opportunity to bring her back. I was wondering if she might be available to come back now?" Edward asked.

"These are dangerous times. There's a pack of dangerous wolves and I'm not sure how safe it would be for you two to travel alone." Charlie said. We both knew he was talking about Dara.

"Wolves?" Edward asked.

"We believe they are were able to get into the inn. A few of the bedspreads were completely torn and it wasn't a human's doing. They are also a suspect in Dara's disappearance." Charlie explained. "Which is why I'm so concerned about you traveling alone."

"That's completely understandable, sir. My brothers and their wives are waiting in the next town. We would be there in a few hours to meet them. Of course we would go during the day and I would have a small handgun as well as my rifle ready just in case." Edward said.

"Why didn't your siblings join you?" Charlie asked.

"We heard about the inn and didn't want to cause anymore trouble." Edward explained.

"Where will you be staying?" Charlie asked.

"I might ride back to the town unless there's somewhere else to stay in Forks?" Edward asked.

"You can stay here. We have an extra room. It isn't extravagant or anything, but it should do." Charlie said.

"That's very nice of you." Edward said.

"So would you be leaving tomorrow then?" Charlie asked.

"If that is alright." Edward said.

"Bella?" Charlie looked over at me.

"I would be able to be ready by then." I nodded.

"I must say, young man, you'll be adding some stress to my life." Charlie said. "I want some way of knowing Bella is safe."

"We would also like to know if you would join us, sir." Edward said. "My parents would be honored if visited along with your daughter."

"I wish I could, but there is too much going on here." Charlie said.

"I understand. We'll send a messenger when we get back and however often you would like." Edward said.

"That would certainly settle my nerves." Charlie said. "Is this fine with you, Bella? I could try and leave."

"Everything sounds fine." I said. "May I go start packing?"

"Of course, don't pack too much. It's not easy to travel with a lot of suitcases." Charlie said.

"Alice has also been shopping for you." Edward said. "She was too excited not to."

"But…" I said. Edward just shrugged and I sighed knowing I wasn't going to be able to fight it.

"It sounds as though you've thought of everything." Charlie said. "It makes me feel even better."

"I wouldn't spare any expense when it comes to Bella, only the best." Edward said.

"O hey Bells, what about the Inn? Are you going to leave Malory in charge?" Charlie asked.

"Yes. I was also going to talk to the Cavalo's to see if they would agree to Malory running the Inn. She loves the Running Horse just as much as Dara and I do." I said.

"I think that's a great idea." Charlie said.

"If you will excuse me, Edward, I'm going to go get out of all of this and into something more comfortable." Charlie said.

"Of course, sir. Thank you again for allowing Bella to come with me. I just wish you could join us as well." Edward said.

"Another time, son." Charlie said. "O, and by the way. My room is right across from Bella's, so don't try anything."

"I would never think of it." Edward said. He stood up at the same time as Charlie did, surprising Charlie.

"Are you going to go talk to everyone tonight, Bells?" Charlie asked.

"I was planning on it." I said.

"Don't worry about dinner, I can take care of it." Charlie said.

"Are you sure?" I asked.

"Ok, I'll take care of mine." Charlie said.

"Alright, we'll see you later tonight then." I said. Charlie gave me a hug as he walked past me.

"You ready to go?" I asked Edward. He nodded and followed me back to the entryway of the house. I handed him his jacket before grabbing a light cloak for myself. I led Edward through town, pointing out a few stores and explaining who owned them. We found Malory back at her house getting the dinner ready for her kids. She waved us in as she dried her hands on a kitchen towel.

"Malory, you remember Edward, right?" I asked.

"Of course, it's nice to see you again." Malory said.

"You too." Edward said.

"I'm going to be leaving with Edward to visit his family home tomorrow. I was wondering if you could take over the inn."

"Do you mean just make sure everything is fixed while you're gone or actually take over it?" Malory asked.

"Actually take over it. Dara's parents offered me the inn, but I have no real desire to run it. I know you'd take care of the Inn and so I thought you would like to run it?" I said.

"Bella… you and Dara have worked so hard these last few years with the inn." Malory said.

"I know, but I think it's the right thing to do." I said.

"Have you talked to the Cavalo's about this?" Malory asked.

"They were going to be my next stop." I sighed.

"If they approve of it then I will take over the inn for you. However, I want you to be there and help whenever you can. I don't want you to completely leave the inn." Malory said. "O, and you're keeping your room as well as Dara's."

"You have a deal." I said after thinking for a few minutes. "I'm sure the Cavalo's will be in touch with you soon."

"I'm looking forward to it." Malory said.

"I'll see you when I get back." I said as I hugged Malory.

"Until then, my friend." Malory said. "It was nice seeing you again, Edward."

"You too." Edward nodded. I turned to leave with one last smile to my friend.

Edward opened and held the door open for me. He walked just behind me as I walked back to the Cavalo farm. Luckily, talking to the Cavalo's were easy enough, especially when I explained that I would be taking time off to visit Edward's family home. Mrs. Cavalo agreed that Malory would be perfect to take over the inn. In fact, we ended up walking back to town with Mrs. Cavalo since she wanted to go talk to Malory immediately.

When Edward and I arrived back at the house I wasn't surprised to see Charlie asleep on the couch. He had his uniform in since he seemed to believe that was "comfort" clothing. I think he likes changing into his uniform just in case something happens he'll be ready. I showed Edward where he would be sleeping before waking up Charlie. Charlie groaned as he woke up, but I eventually got him to wake up enough so that he could walk up to his bed. He mumbled a goodnight before closing his door. Within a few minutes I could hear the snoring start. I smiled to myself before walking back downstairs.

"Would you like something to eat?" I asked Edward.

"I'm fine." He said.

"O ya, your special diet, right?" I asked. He just nodded. He sat down at the table as I easily moved around the kitchen getting everything I needed for dinner. I ended up making a soup from left over chicken and some vegetables. I offered Edward some as I started to serve myself, but he declined once more.

"When will we be leaving tomorrow?" I asked.

"Mid morning, most likely. We'll get to the estate sometime in the evening." Edward explained.

"How much should I pack, or has Alice bought me a completely new wardrobe?" I asked.

"You want the truth?" Edward asked.

"It would be appreciated."

"You don't have to pack a thing. Alice is a bit… eccentric when it comes to shopping." Edward sighed. "I tried to stop her, but it there wasn't too much hope."

"I'm sure it will be fine. Plus now we won't have to worry about luggage." I said.

"That's the same thing she said." Edward replied.

Edward, being the gentleman he was, excused himself when I was done with dinner. He retired to his room saying it was improper to be alone much longer since my father was asleep. I tried to tell him that everything was fine, but Edward insisted. By the time Edward had retired to his room, I realized how early it still was. I lit a candle next to my bed as only a few bursts of light were left in the sky. I settled down with one of the books I had found on my old bookshelf.

oOoOoOo

The next morning, Edward and I spent breakfast with Charlie before we got ready to go. Edward still turned down food and yet it must have been over 12 hours since he last ate. I questioned him as to why he wasn't hungry and he claimed that he had brought some food with him so his mother wouldn't be worried about his diet. I nodded, but still not sure if it was true. I knew that even if it wasn't true that I wouldn't be able to get the truth out of him most likely.

After breakfast was finished and the dishes were cleaned, Edward brought around his horse as well as one we were borrowing for me. We would send the horse back when we met with his siblings since they had brought a carriage as well. Charlie seemed pleased with that bit of information. Eventually, we were able to get away from Charlie start heading out. We avoided the main part of Forks to cause less of a stir. I'm sure most people have heard or would be hearing my departure and it would be the center of gossip for a day or so.

We rode for a few hours before we started to see farms become more and more frequent. The farms then turned into a small town. I was eventually able to find out that the town was called Mille and Edward's estate was known as the Baldwin Manor. Apparently it was smaller than the Rothschild Manor, but still large enough to show that the Cullens had quite a bit of money.

Edward's family was waiting for us when we arrived in Mille. The carriage was already prepared and two horses were saddled next to it. Edward quickly made the arrangements to take my horse back to Forks before leading me over to his family. Alice waved enthusiastically at me while the other woman looked me up and down before returning to her nails. Jasper and nodded and smiled slightly while the man next to him grinned widely.

"Bella, you know Alice and Jasper." Edward said. I nodded and smiled at Alice who seemed to be almost jumping in her seat. "That's Emmet, my brother, and his wife Rosalie."

"It's nice to see you again, Bella." Emmet said.

"Uh, you too." I replied.

Edward helped me into the coach before talking to his brothers. Alice just kept grinning while Rosalie didn't seem to care.

"How have you been, Bella?" Alice asked.

"Um, busy. With Dara gone and the Inn trashed, I've had a lot to do." I said.

"Yes, sorry about the inn. I hope nothing too terrible happened." Alice said.

"A few chairs and tables will be replaced, as well as some beds, but other than that it's fine." I said. "Thank you for the warning though."

I noticed Rosalie stopped looking at her nails and the three men outside stopped talking. Edward looked into the coach and looked straight at his sister, as though he was expecting an explanation. Alice just rolled her eyes, but said nothing.

"Your welcome Bella. I would want you to get caught in any of that." Alice said. Edward growled slightly as he pushed away from the coach. Almost immediately the carriage rocked forward and we started to leave Mille. "You might want to get some sleep, Bella. It's going to be a pretty long journey."


	9. Reunion

A/N- Hello everyone! I wish I could start this note on a happy note, but I need to get some news out there. I will be putting this story on hold for a bit (not long I promise) because I need to focus on school. Finals are coming up and paper deadlines are approaching (one of Friday). I'll try and update in 2-3 weeks, but I really do need to throw myself into school for a bit. Anyway, here's another chapter so enjoy!

**Romance4ever**- I'm glad you like reading my stories so much! I love writing them and I'm going to be in just as much agony as you while I can't update, trust me! Thanks for your constant support!

**Lcogle**- It was the wolves who tore apart the inn, which is why Edward and Alice's room was torn apart while the rooms Jake and the others were in were fine. Thank you for catching my mistake as well! I'll edit that at some point!

**Lil-lostii**- Thanks for the review, I'm glad you like it!

* * *

The first thing I saw when I woke up was a lake. The water was a deep blue and there were swans and ducks floating on the surface. It looked as though we had stumbled onto the lands belonging to a fairytale castle. Unfortunately, that fairytale was partially broken when a large white mansion came into view. The building was still impressive and could have belonged to Royalty. Then of course, there was my own personal prince who happened to be riding right beside the carriage I was in.

"Good morning, Bella!" Alice chimed.

"Good morning Alice, Rose." I said. Rose gave me a tight smile before returning her gaze outside. I could tell she was relieved to be home.

"You woke up at the perfect time! We're here! I wanted to wake you up about an hour ago, but Edward wouldn't let me." Alice glared outside and I knew she was trying to find Edward, but he was out of view.

The carriage came to a slow stop after a few minutes. Alice, Rose, and I remained in the carriage until the door was opened for us. In all honesty, I was just following their lead. Emmet came up first and helped Rose out, followed by Jasper who helped Alice, and then finally Edward. Edward held my hand lightly as I stepped down. Unfortunately I was paying too much attention to the grounds, causing me to start falling. Luckily my prince was standing next to me and he easily caught me, setting me back on my feet. I was hoping the others hadn't seen, but I noticed some of the hidden smiles and knew they had.

"I'm guessing you approve?" Edward asked.

"Very much so." I said. "I still can't believe you brought me here. Plus I had to go and embarrass you by tripping on my own feet."

"You didn't embarrass me, don't worry. It's refreshing to be around someone who isn't perfect all the time." Edward said.

"You mean like Rosalie?" I asked.

"Don't worry about Rosalie." Edward said, his tone darkening slightly.

"I didn't say I was." I said quietly. I really was worried about how normal and average I looked next to the goddess that was Rosalie. Edward looked down with me and tilted one eyebrow up in question and I knew I was caught. I just looked away, not wanting to admit my true feelings. "I can't believe you were able to grow up here. It must have been amazing."

"It was." Edward said simply. "My father keeps the pond stocked so my brothers and I can fish. There are also wild animals in the forest for hunting. Needless to say, there is never a dull moment here."

Edward continued to lead me up the steps behind is other siblings. A servant opened the door and bowed slightly as we walked past. The inside of the house was just as grand as the outside. The floor was white marble and the walls were a pearly white. There were plush seats every so often against the wall with gold cushions.

"And so the other Cullens return."

Everyone stopped and looked up one of the stair cases to the left of the room.

"Laurent, we were unaware that you would be here. I assume James is here as well?" Jasper asked.

"He is. I believe he will be meeting you in the study. Your mother is there as well." Laurent said. He continued to glide down the stairs until he joined us. The procession made its way down the hall and into a rather large study.

"Bella!"

Before I could respond to my name being called out, I was nearly knocked sideways. Luckily, Edward was standing next to me and kept me standing. I looked to my side to notice Dara hugging me.

"Dara! We thought you were dead!" I said. I returned her hug with just as much enthusiasm.

"Dead? See James! This is why I have to go home! I have to let people know that I'm fine and definitely not dead!" Dara yelled. She had swung around and was now glaring at a man at the other side of the room. I recognized him as the visitor who had captured Dara's interest a few weeks ago at the inn. Something big must have happened for her to turn around and yell at him. Dara might have been good at verbal sparing, but she rarely ever raised her voice.

"As I've said before, get over it. It will not be happening anytime soon."

"Can I at least send a letter home? It would help comfort my parents and the others." Dara said.

"They've already had a funeral." I said quietly, bringing Dara's attention back to me.

"What?" She whispered.

"Girls, why don't the two of you go to Dara's room and talk?" Lady Cullen said.

"Come on Bella, Esme's right." Dara said. She took my head and lead me out of the room. I looked back at Edward and he gave me a reassuring smile. We kept our eyes locked together until the door closed firmly behind me.

Dara continued to lead me up the stairs. I had to winder how long she'd been her since it seemed as though she had memorized the halls already. I was already lost and I knew if Dara left me now I would be lost until Edward came looking for me. Dara found her room and opened the door for me to walk in.

"My parents had a funeral for me?"

"They did. It was beautiful if it makes you feel any better."

"I wish this heartbreak was never there. Maybe I should never have gone to Blythe with Justin. O god, Justin. How is he doing?"

"He's torn up, to say the least. I know Charlie has had to hold your father back from killing him a few times. You made him a widower rather quickly."

"We would have had to been married for me to make him a widower." Dara sighed. "I didn't want to accept him as a suitor in the first place."

"Why not?" I asked. Justin and Dara had always been close friends. Most people were expecting them to be one of the first couples to marry.

"It just didn't feel right. Sure we were friends, but I never really wanted anymore than that." Dara explained.

"Did it have something to do with a certain stranger you've been staying with for the past few days?" I asked.

"James? No… I don't think so. James and I fight every time we're together." Dara sighed. "What kind of relationship is that?"

"Maybe that's how you vent your feelings? Maybe you're fighting because you don't want to admit you have feelings for him?" I asked.

"When did you become a love guru?" Dara laughed.

"I'm merely throwing my thoughts out there. I know you Dara. I know you won't want to submit to feelings as strong as love without a fight." I said.

"Love? Bella, I doubt this is love. That's a strong word, a very strong word." Dara sighed.

"Which is why you're fighting it. Just think about it." I said. I could already see Dara contemplating what I had just told her.

"Even if I was falling in love with James, I doubt he sees me as anything more than an interesting specimen that he was lucky enough to find." Dara said.

"What are you talking about? You sound like a madwoman."

"James won't let me go home because I'm interesting and he doesn't know why. He won't let me leave until he finds out why. It's really quite annoying."

"Maybe you're interesting to him because he has feelings for you and he's not used to having feelings for a woman?" I said.

"Maybe you should quit working at the inn and open a love advice stand." Dara laughed.

"Actually… your parents gave the inn to me, but since I was coming here with Edward, I declined the offer."

"You did what?" Dara shrieked. "Please tell me the inn has not fallen into the hands of the harpies or some other idiot."

"No, the inn now belongs to Malory." I said.

"O good." Dara relaxed. "I would have been happy with chef as well, but Malory really is the best choice if neither of us are running it."

"It sounds as though you've already accepted that you aren't returning." I said.

"After being told I'm not so many times, could you expect anything else?" Dara asked.

"No, I guess not." I said quietly. "Are you staying here for a few more days? Or are you leaving with James soon?"

"I'm not quite sure. I haven't really talked to James or Laurent that much since we got here. I've been spending a lot of time with Esme."

"Esme is Edward's mother, right?" I asked.

"She is. Did he not tell you about his siblings and parents?"

"I met his siblings. I rode in a carriage with Alice and Rosalie." I reminded her. "We just really didn't talk much."

"Esme is Edward's mother. She's an amazing chef and she loves decorating. We have to get her to make us lunch! O, and dinner!" Dara said excitedly.

"What time is it anyway?" I asked.

"About nine o'clock in the morning." She shrugged. "You just missed breakfast, but I'm sure we could get something from the kitchen if you're hungry."

"I would love something to eat. I had a sandwich on the way here, but it really wasn't that much." I said.

"Come, we'll go down to the kitchen." Dara said. We left the room and Dara once more made her way effortlessly through the maze of halls.

"How long have you been here?" I asked.

"Just over a half a day." She shrugged.

"And yet you know the halls so well." I commented.

"I've never really thought of it." Dara said. "I just remember the way Esme brought me."

We found our way to the kitchen, where the cooks were already putting the breakfast food away and preparing food for lunch. There really wasn't all that much food, which surprised me since the entire family was here and Emmet didn't strike me as someone who only at a few bites at every meal. His wife on the other hand, she seemed as though she didn't eat very much.

"Miss Dara, what are you doing back down here?" The man who looked like the head chef said.

"Don't worry, I'm still full. My friend Bella, on the other hand, is hungry. She just arrived with the rest of the family and hasn't eaten much since she left Forks." Dara explained.

"Really? Now, we can't have that can we?" The man said. "Don't worry, I shall make sure your friend is well fed."

"Thank you, Marcel." Dara said with a smile. "We'll be out in the back patio."

"I will have one of the girls bring your food out there. Miss Bella, what would you like? Anything special?"

"I'll pretty much eat anything." I said.

"Anything you don't like? Anything you'd prefer?" Marcel asked.

"Nothing too spicy. A little heat is nice, but that's all." I thought about what I would want before deciding to hand over the creative reins to the chef. "I'm sure anything you cook will be delicious."

"Miss Dara, I love your friend!" Marcel said happily. "My dear, I'm sure you will not be disappointed!"

"I'm sure I won't be." I said with a smile.

"Alright Marcel, we'll see what you create soon." Dara said. We walked out of the kitchen calmly through the halls. The heels of our shoes clicked on the marble floor and then echoed off the walls. I tried to work on walking quietly, but it wasn't working. Dara didn't seem bothered about it and just kept walking on.

"Where are you girls headed?" Laurent asked as he walked by.

"Out to the patio. Marcel is making some breakfast for Bella right now. Why don't you come join us, Laurent?" Dara asked.

"It is alright, my dear. I was planning on getting some rest for now. I will see you two later tonight." Laurent smiled as he passed by us.

"So that's James' friend?"

"Laurent, yes." Dara said. "They travel together and apparently between them have two or three homes."

"Doesn't James own Ruthridge?" I asked.

"He does, but apparently he rarely stays in it. That's where we were before coming here." Dara explained. "It dwarfs the Cullen's home."

"Seriously?" I asked. Dara just nodded.

We found some seats right in front of the house. There was a glass table between us. Almost as soon as we sat down, there was a glass of orange juice as well as a cup of tea set down for us. Dara went for the tea while I took the orange juice. Whoever had placed the drinks down was gone almost immediately. We sipped our drinks as we looked out at the green grass that sat before the forest. There were a few servants tending to the grounds, but no one ventured into the garden right below us. We asked a passing gardener why and he said that it was Lady Cullen's personal garden and no one was allowed to tend it except for the lady herself.

"Miss Bella!" We turned around to see Marcel walking out with a plate in his hands. He set down the plate in front of me while another servant brought out a napkin, fork, and knife. "So, we have simple chicken eggs scrambled, toast with a apple cinnamon butter, maple sausages, and some fruit."

"Chef Marcel, this looks amazing." I said. I took a bite of the eggs and hummed my delight. Marcel lit up and smiled brightly. "And it tastes even better."

"Thank you, Miss Bella. I will see you for lunch." Marcel said.

"Actually, Marcel." Everyone looked back to the house where Edward was standing with Alice. "We were planning a picnic for a late lunch, early dinner. Could you have everything packed in a basket? O! I'll help you pack it! I need to go find a decent blanket though…" Alice dashed off with Marcel right on her heels. He was complaining about the sudden change in plans while she was listing off everything she would need.

"How is your breakfast?" Edward asked.

"It's wonderful." I said before taking a bite. "Would you like some?"

"I'm alright, thank you though." Edward said. "May I borrow Bella for a second, Dara?"

"Of course." Dara said.

Edward offered me his hand and helped me from my chair. He lead me inside, but only a few steps. We were out of Dara's view and it didn't seem as though anyone else was in the hall.

"You know what I like best about being here?" Edward asked.

"What?"

"I can do this." Edward dipped his head down and gently placed his lips on the very corner of my own lips. They lingered there for a few moments longer than I expected. A chill ran up and down my back as Edward pulled away. I was even more surprised when I felt Edward's lips again, but this time on my own lips and not just on the corner. They were firm and cold, but still elicited a wonderful feeling from me. I could feel my knees going weak, luckily Edward was holding me up, otherwise I would be a pile of mush at his feet. When I opened my eyes I noticed him looking down at me. His golden eyes were so intense that I was confused as to what he was looking for.

"Edward?" I asked quietly.

"That was alright, right?" Edward asked.

I simply nodded slowly. I unconsciously licked my lips as I continued to stare into his eyes.

"Is everything alright here?"

We jumped apart instantly. James was smirking at us from the far end of the hall.

"What do you want, Mr. Rothschild?" Edward asked. His arm snuck around my back and pulled me closer. He angled our bodies so we was standing slightly in front of me.

"Calm down Mr. Cullen. I was just going to go let Dara know it is about time to go." James said.

"What? Dara's leaving now?" I asked. "She can't leave now!"

"James, why don't you stay for a few more days?" Edward sighed.

"You know it isn't my style." James said. "I've been feeling caged since I got her."

"Then let me stay here without you." Dara said from the doors. "You won't let me go home, you can at least let me spend some time with my closest friend."

"I'm not sure that's such a good idea." James said.

"Why not, James? She wouldn't be in half the danger with us as she is with you." Edward said. I could tell he was baiting James and I wasn't sure if James was going to bite or not.

"Dara, I want to speak with you… alone." James growled. I heard Dara sigh, but she breezed past Edward and I. She looked back and I knew she was going to want to talk later about the position we were in.

"Edward, I don't want Dara to leave yet." I whispered.

"James is pretty stubborn. Hopefully Laurent and Dara will be able to make him change his mind, but I doubt anything my family will say will matter." Edward sighed. "Are you done with breakfast?"

"I've barely started." I said.

"Why don't you bring it in and I'll show you the library?" Edward asked.

"Sounds like a plan to me." I said. I walked back outside and picked up the dishes. Edward took my plate for me while I kept my glass. He assured me that a servant would be out soon to take care of Dara's cup.

The library was massive. I stood in the doorway in awe of the shelves. There was a second floor that ran around the top of the first. Books piled all of the walls so there were even a few ladders scattered around the room. Edward continued walking deeper into the room and set my dish down on an old wooden table.

"This is amazing. I'm falling in love with this house more and more."

"I'm going to have to fight the house for you?" Edward joked. "I did like this house, but if it's going to be like that it will be a pile of ashes before you know it."

"How could I love a house over you?" I said.

"Love?" Edward asked.

I immediately stopped my exploration of the books and mentally retraced my steps. O crap, I really did say love.

"Um… well… um…" I tried to find something that would let me take back that one word without hurting any hopes he got from it. I mean, I'm not sure I'm falling deeper and deeper into my feelings that surrounded Edward, but I'm not sure that it's love… yet.

"Don't worry." Edward whispered into my ear. "I'm falling in love with you too." His cold hands came up and wrapped around my shoulders lightly as he inhaled deeply by my neck.

"Edward? What are you doing?" I asked.

"You don't know how good you smell, do you?" Edward asked.

"Um… no?" I said. "Edward, we've been traveling all day. I'm sure I smell horrible. Come to think of it, I haven't really had time to change or wash my face."

"You smell amazing still." Edward stated. "Would you like to take a bath nor or after you eat?"

"How about after? That way I'll be ready for the picnic?" I asked.

"You like that idea? Even it's so foggy? I tried to tell Alice it was a little much, especially since we just arrived." I placed a finger on Edward's lips, effectively quieting him.

"I love the idea. The mist just bring a whole different element to it." I said.

"And what element would that be?" Edward asked.

"Who knows, we'll have to see." I said.

oOoOoOo

I sighed as I looked out the window. I had on a plain blue dress on that had a string of lace just under the breasts. Alice had found a darker blue jacket that matched the dress and she insisted that I wear it so I wouldn't get a cold. Then there are the matching blue gloves, shoes, and even a silver necklace. Alice helped me with my hair as well; pinning it up while letting a few strands fall around my face. Ever since James had come to get Dara, I hadn't seen her, James, or Laurent since. It was making me anxious, to say the least. I would have liked to spend more time with Dara, especially since she might be leaving soon. So here I stood, watching the clouds slowly float across the sky, waiting for Dara or Alice or Edward to show up and come get me. Unlike Dara, I didn't have the ability to remember one hallway from another.

"So I'm staying." Dara said as she came in.

"Really? James is prolonging his stay?" I asked.

"No, he'll be going home. I will be staying here for a bit longer. Then James will come back to get me." Dara shrugged.

"So you have to be the chaperone now, don't you?" I asked.

"I will be joining you on your picnic today, but I will be joined by James." Dara said.

"Really?" I asked.

"Really." Dara said. "You were right. We've been fighting what's been happening all along."

"So he's going to court you?" I asked. "Who'd he ask permission from? It's not like he can go ask you father, now can he?"

"He asked Laurent and Carlisle instead." Dara said. She paused and looked out the window with me.

"Really? Dara you can't stop there!" I said.

"Last I checked Bella, you haven't told me about when or how Edward asked you." Dara said.

"We didn't have enough time. Anyway, you haven't told me anything about your trip to Blythe!" I shot back.

"We haven't had enough time." Dara said, attempting to mimic me.

"Is everything alright in here?" Alice asked. She was standing at the door looking in curiously.

"We're fine, just joking around." I said. "You can come in, Alice."

"Well it would be pointless since we're leaving for the picnic now."

"We?" Dara asked.

"Everyone except Mother and Father are coming." Alice said. "Hurry up, we can't wait forever, you know."

"That means Rosalie is coming." I sighed.

"The blonde one?" Dara asked. I nodded. "Joy."


	10. A Not So Peaceful Picnic

**A/N**- Hello! So I know I said I would be updating till all of my school stuff was over, but I just finished my paper for one class (one to go) so I decided to celebrate and update. On other news… there's a poll that will decide where this story will go towards the end on my profile. Please go check it out and let me know what you think! Anyway, read, enjoy, and review!

**Romance4ever**- I hope you didn't miss me too much since it's only been a few days. Anyway, I'm glad you enjoy the banter because it gets a little heated in this chapter…

* * *

Dara and I walked down the staircase a few steps behind Alice. The rest of the family was standing in the foyer talking quietly. Alice went straight to Jasper, clinging to her arm, just like she usually was when they were in the same room. Edward looked up and smiled at me before walking over to the bottom of the stairs. He offered me his hand and helped me down the last step. Dara glided right past us and over next to James.

"You look… refreshed." Edward said.

"Uh, thanks." I said. "You look better yourself."

"I got something to eat while you were resting." Edward said.

Alice led the way to the picnic spot. We walked down the gravel entryway until we hit the grass. From there we walked down to the lake. The lake was so peaceful, with the top looking like glass. There were a few birds, including swans, floating on the surface. The mist was still clinging to the grass, but everyone seemed as though they were perfectly at home in the mist.

"So, do you approve of my home?" Edward asked.

"I already told you how beautiful I thought it was." I said. "And the weather really isn't that much different Forks."

"So you're used to the fog?" Edward asked.

"I don't think one could ever be completely used to it. I miss the sun though." I sighed.

"I think you might have a few more weeks before the sun comes out here. It's usually the middle of spring before the sun decides to come out." Edward said. He didn't seem so thrilled with the idea of the sun, but I decided not to really press the issue.

We walked for a few minutes within the trees. I noticed Dara tense up a bit, probably from the memories of the wolf attack, but she quickly relaxed and continued on as though nothing was different. Eventually Alice led us from the trees to a small clearing. The lake bordered one side while the forest surrounded the other three sides. At the center were a few blankets and a picnic basket. Everyone paired off around the basket. Emmett and Rosalie were, of course, sitting upon each other while Jasper only kept an arm around Alice. I sat down next to Edward and expected Dara to sit next to me so we could continue our talk, but she ended up sitting farther across from everyone with James. Edward kept our hands together, but that was it.

Alice immediately dove into the basket. She pulled out chicken, salads, potatoes and then poured two glasses of white wine. Alice played the good hostess and plated Dara and mine's meal before handing it to us. Then she gave us each a glass of wine. Once Bella and I had been given our food, Alice pulled out a bigger bottle and more glasses. She filled the glasses with a thick red liquid before handing it to everyone else. James declined (and not so nicely) before turning his attention elsewhere.

"What is that?" I asked Edward as he took a sip.

"It's a special wine our parents make." Edward said. It really didn't smell like wine. It had a metallic odor to it, almost like blood. Ugh blood…

"No label?" Dara asked.

"No, we keep it in the family and among friends." Emmett said.

"Can I try a sip?" I asked. I'm going to be brave for Edward. I should like the things his family is into, even if it smells like blood, yuck.

"It wouldn't go with your meal." Alice said. "Maybe another time?"

That would work perfectly for me. I can get used to the smell by then, hopefully.

"Alright." I nodded.

"So Bella, what else has been happening in Forks?" Dara asked.

"Everyone's still worried about the wolves, but your disappearance had everyone's attention for the most part. Then of course there was the break-in at the inn." I said casually.

"What break-in?" Dara asked. Woops… she didn't know about that, did she?

"We think the wolves broke in and decided to have fun. We saved as many chairs and tables as we could and nothing in any of the bedrooms, including ours, were horribly damaged. Well, there were a few sheets, but that was it. Malory should have it up and open by now." I said, hoping to calm her down.

"That should be good. I don't know where some people would go for dinner if it was down for too long." Dara joked.

"Ya. You should have seen Chef the day of the break-in. He was ready to shove his wooden spoon and a knife through someone. My dad had to take all weapons from him." I smiled fondly on the memory, remembering Chef threatening everyone who even tried to step closer.

"Sounds like Chef." Dara muttered.

The group fell into silence after that. Luckily it was a comfortable silence so I was actually able to enjoy it and the area we were in. Rose was constantly whispering in Emmett's ear, making him grin. Alice was lying against Jasper's chest as she played with his fingers and watched some of the birds in the lake. Actually, when I think about it, this is the first time that I've ever seen Alice quiet of her own free will. Usually Edward or Jasper have to shut her up and yet here she is… perfectly happy, perfectly quiet. Edward quickly finished his drink, far faster than any of his siblings. He gave his glass to Alice, who also took my plate and glass. Emmett took both his and Rose's glass before placing them in the basket and pulling Rosalie away. Alice and Jasper took their own time, but also disappeared back toward the house.

"So Edward, does your family only own land and make their own special wine or is there another source of income?" Dara asked.

Great, now she was becoming 'big protective sister' again. This couldn't end well…

"Carlisle is a doctor as well and I've been studying medicine. Jasper and Emmett are both investors as well."

"So you have a great deal of money flowing in." Dara commented.

"Dara!" I hissed. I'm going to have to find a way to stop this before Dara does something stupid.

"It's alright, Bella." Edward laughed. "I'm actually surprised your father didn't interrogate me, although I am surprised it is Dara asking all of the questions."

"Charlie was probably just impressed by your family name and what not." I joked.

"And that someone with a good name was interested in his daughter." Dara added.

"Dara!" I yelled.

"Bella, calm down. I understand how any father would want that." Edward said. He put a hand on my arm and pulled me back slightly. I huffed quietly and continued to glare at my friend, or possibly soon to be ex-friend if she keeps this up.

"You know it's true." Dara said. "You and your father were both looking for someone other than Mike to court you."

"Yes, but my father wasn't going to just hand me off to the next person who asked! We weren't that desperate!" I said.

"But he did!" Dara shot back hotly. "Did Charlie even ask you anything about who you were, Edward? Or did he just go off the face you were a Cullen?"

"Dara, will you stop? Before you left for Blythe you were encouraging me! What happened?" I cried.

"I'm just trying to find out more about him." Dara said.

"No, you're trying to find something wrong with him. What about James? When I got here, you two were still constantly fighting and now you're practically lovey-dovey with each other. What happened between the two of you, hm?"

"You said yourself that the fighting was probably-" Dara began. She looked rattled since I had switched the tables.

"I know what I said." I yelled. "Did it ever occur to you that I was wrong? No one from home knows James. No one knows about his reputation or what really comes with his name. God knows the Cullens only put up with him because they have to. Maybe he's some killer who's only out to kill you and see you bleed. And look at yourself! You're acting as like a common whore around him! You two are always disappearing together to do god knows what. You've started to act just like the harpies."

As soon as the words left my mouth, I regretted it. Before I could take them back, I felt a hand connect with my cheek. I couldn't believe Dara had slapped me… I pressed my hand against my cheek, wincing slightly. Edward pulled me back so fast that I clung to his arm. He made sure he was completely blocking another attack, but apparently James had done almost the same thing and had pulled Dara back. She looked just as stunned at her actions as I was.

"Alright, well it looks like this picnic is over." Alice said as she reappeared. "Why don't we all go home?"

Edward immediately agreed, but I just continued to stand there. Dara looked up slightly confused before turning around running.

"Dara!" Alice yelled. "Crap, James, go after her. It's about to rain and she really shouldn't be caught in the rain."

"What do you mean, it's about to rain?" I asked.

"Just trust me, just like you did before." Alice said.

"What do you mean before?" Edward asked. James rolled his eyes before dashing off to chase after Dara.

"Alice warned me about the inn. She told me not to go back the night of the break in." I explained.

"Alice." Edward growled.

"Would you have rather she been there?" Alice asked.

"I swear to god Alice…" Edward threatened.

"Calm down Edward, I'm fine and Alice is fine." I said. "I just hope Dara is."

"She'll be fine as long as she gets in before the rain. Speaking of the rain, we need to get going." Alice said.

Edward glared at his sister, but eventually nodded. He placed a hand on my back and led me back. I almost fell a few times since we were walking so fast, but Edward always caught me before I did. I figured he'd make a comment at some point, but he never did. When we got back to the house I noticed the darker clouds that had suddenly rolled in.

"I'm going to go upstairs and watch for Dara." I said.

"You're going to forgive her then?" Edward asked. He started following with me up the stairs with Alice at his heels.

"Of course she is!" Alice said. "Rose and I fight all the time. Actually, our fights are worse. Anyway, we're always fighting and yet we're still sisters at the end of the day."

"Not all people are like you and Rose." Edward said.

"She's right though." I said. "Dara and I might not fight all that much, but we're sisters. We'll come back to each other when we have to."

"But the things that she said." Edward said.

"Don't forget what I said too, Edward." I said. "If anything what I said was worse. She was just looking out for me."

"Trust me, I'm not as shadowy as James." Edward muttered.

"What?" I asked. Alice shot Edward a glare before coming over to the window with me.

"He's just being stupid. Our families have never gotten along and now that we're working together, tensions are high." Alice explained.

"Still, if there's something I should know, then tell me." I said.

"She'll be fine, don't worry." Alice smiled. "I'll be right back."

Alice quickly left, fluttering out of the door. She left the door and smiled back at us before dashing off. I walked away from the window and sighed as I sat down on one of the plush chair at the corner of the room. "So there's really nothing I should know about James? Possibly like why your families aren't friends?"

"Just some past history. You know how grudges can be. They fester and fester until both families come together for a better good." Edward said, almost as though he was brushing me off.

"Are you sure?" I asked.

"I'm sure." Edward said. "It would appear Dara's back and is downstairs."

"What?" I asked. "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure." Edward said. I nodded, immediately trusting Edward, and ran down the hall. As I came down the stairs I noticed a muddied Dara in James' arms. She was soaking wet and shivering.

"Dara! What happened?" I asked. "Didn't you tell her that it was going to rain?"

"He did… I didn't listen. We were on our way back when it started to rain." Dara said, before sneezing.

Great, now she's going to get sick. I'll admit, it made me a tiny bit happy because that meant that James wouldn't be able to change her mind and decide to have her join him to wherever they're going.

"O god, you're getting sick. And what did you do, decide it was time for a mud bath?" I asked.

"No, your clumsiness transferred to me." I joked, before sneezing again. I smiled at the joke before Carlisle stepped closer.

"Alright, it's time to get her into a bath." Carlisle said. "She needs to get warmer now."

James finally set Dara down and I was immediately at her side. She leaned against me slightly as we walked back upstairs. A servant had already set up a bath and was making sure the water was warm enough. I helped Dara out of her dress and made sure she didn't slip on her way into the bath. If she really had inherited my clumsiness, then that's the next thing that was going to happen. Luckily, she was fine and sighed as she stepped into the tub. I sat down behind her and started massaging all of the mud out of her hair. I noticed her skin break out in goosebumps and Dara shiver slightly, even though she was in warm water. I'd have to ask Carlisle or Edward about it later…

"I'm sorry for what I said and for slapping you." Dara said quietly, breaking me out of my reverie. "You were right, I shouldn't have been asking those questions and I just got carried away."

"It's alright. I shouldn't have called you a whore or said you were like the harpies. We both got carried away." I replied.

"Ya, but it was my fault for starting it." Dara said.

"And it was my fault for reacting the way I did." I said. I gently patted her shoulder before standing up and washing my hands. I smiled at Alice as she slipped into the room with fresh towels.

"How about we don't fight over this?" Alice said with a smile. "Let's just stay happy with each other."

Dara and I smiled and nodded happily. We both knew that we wouldn't have kept fighting anyway, it would have been over in a few minutes.

"Good because I was just going to have to find a way to force you guys to be friends again." Alice said. "O! I know! I could have taken you two shopping! No one could be mad after shopping!"

"Just saying we were going shopping would have done it." Dara groaned. I shook my head and smiled as I leaned against the marble counter. Dara sneezed again, making Alice frown.

"That doesn't sound good." Alice said. "Maybe we should get you to bed and have Carlisle look over you again."

"Hm… sleep sounds good." Dara hummed.

"I'll go get Carlisle while Bella helps you get dressed." Alice said.

I helped Dara out of the bath and then dried her hair as she dried off her body. The last thing she needed was to get even sicker because her hair was cold. Once she was dressed in the chemise and robe Alice had brought in. Dara was still sneezing as we got her set up in the bed. Carlisle came in as soon as Dara was settled into the blankets.

"Well you look a little better." Carlisle said with a smile. I don't know about Dara, but I find Carlisle's smiles comforting. You just have to trust him when he smiles at you. Carlisle went about checking on Dara and seeing if she was sick or not. I was sitting at the window the whole time, anxious to find out how she was. Most people in Forks were smart enough to not go out in the rain so there weren't too many people who got sick. Even when someone did, they usually just followed their mother's herbal recipe to get better. I'm guessing Carlisle's the first doctor to have ever been to Forks.

"So, am I just cold?" Dara asked when Carlisle started putting his things away. I moved closer to the bed to find out Carlisle's prognosis. "Please tell me I'm not sick."

"Well, it looks like you might have a slight cold. I'm going to want to keep an eye on you for a few days to make sure that this doesn't get worse. Luckily you weren't in the rain for long so I don't think we have to worry about pneumonia. You should be fine in a few days."

"Ugh… you mean I'm going to be stuck in bed for a few days?" Dara groaned.

Dara never has been good at staying in one place or even staying still. Hell, most of the time she barely does as she's told. That's why she runs the inn and not someone else.

"I hate to say it, but yes." Carlisle said he smiled at both of us before getting up.

"Should I get her anything? Like a cup of tea?" I asked.

"A cup of tea will be good, but probably better when she wakes up again." Carlisle said. I looked down and noticed how Dara was already starting to fall asleep, even though she was trying to fight it. "I'll make sure Marcel makes some soup tomorrow for you as well."

"Hm… I haven't had soup in a while actually." Dara said.

"Well then, you're in for a treat." Carlisle said. "We'll let you get some rest."

"Thank you." Dara said. "Actually, could I talk to James and Laurent first?"

"Of course, I'll send them in." Carlisle said.

I followed Carlisle out of the room. He smiled comfortingly at me before walking down the hall. I started looking for Edward. I walked down a few halls without success. I finally came back to the library and smiled to myself. Maybe a small detour couldn't hurt… I spent a few minutes looking through the titles that were on the shelves. I had found a copy of a few books I had been meaning to read and had set them aside.

"You're leaving… now." I heard Edward's muffled voice behind me and turned around. Surely he couldn't be talking to me? He wasn't going to force me to leave in the middle of a storm?

"We should wait until Dara is doing better." Laurent's voice came next. I let out a breath of relief as I realized that they weren't in the room and they didn't even know I could hear them.

"No, you should leave now." Edward growled.

"Scared something might happen to your precious little human?" James asked. There was a thump against the wall and I jumped in surprise. I was expecting them to come through with how loud it was.

"Don't ever threaten Bella again." Edward said.

"Who said I was threatening her?" James replied. "But if anything should happen to Dara…"

"You think Dara is safer with you?" Edward asked, a slight amount of laughter in his voice. James growled in response, but I couldn't make out if there were any words.

"To tell you both the truth," Laurent broke in, "neither of them are safe with us and it seems they won't be for a while since both of you are so stubborn."

There were silence for a few seconds before Edward spoke up. "Get out… both of you just get out. I'll have Bella tell Dara you left."

"She knows we're leaving. We were already planning to." James said.

I remained silent for what seemed like a few minutes as I listened to everyone leave. I took a breath of relief when everything was silent and sat down at the table. However, as soon as I sat down, the door to the library was thrown open and Edward stormed in. He looked as though he could kill anyone who dared to oppose him at the moment, but I'm guessing he was hoping for James. Of course, I broke the silence by dropping the book I had just picked up.

"Bella? What are you doing in here? How long have you been in here?" Edward asked.

"I was looking for you after I left Dara's room, but I found the library first so I decided to take a break in here." I explained.

"I'm guessing you heard everything in the hall?" Edward asked. He took a seat opposite of me and sunk back.

"I didn't mean to, but it's not like your voices were quiet." I said. Edward was quiet, just looking past me and out the window. His lips were strained in a thin line and I could tell he was thinking about what to say next, so I decided to help him. "Edward, Dara and I really should know if there's some sort of danger that we're in."

"You're safe here." Edward answered tersely.

"Then why did James say otherwise?" I asked. "And Laurent? Laurent said we weren't safe until you and James would stop being stubborn."

"Laurent doesn't know what he's talking about, neither of them do. I think James knew that you were down here, got a rise out of me just so I'd say something stupid with you listening." Edward said.

"Really? That's all? I find that hard to believe." I said.

"Bella, you know I wouldn't let anything happen to you, even if it was because of me." Edward said quietly.

"You better not do something stupid like leave me here." I muttered.

"Why would that be stupid?" Edward asked. His eyebrows were knitted together in confusion.

"For one, this is your home and not mine. I'm your guest, in case you've forgotten. Second, I know now that I'm falling in love with you." I said. Edward's eyes instantly snapped to mine and were wide with surprise, as mine were most likely.

"You don't know what that means." Edward whispered.

"That's not exactly the thing I was hoping to hear." I sighed.

Edward stood up from his chair and walked the few steps over to me before kneeling down. "Bella, I would have hoped that you would understand that I'm falling in love with you too, especially since I've already told you." He took my hands and placed icy kisses on them, smiling up at me as he did so.

"Well I wanted to hear it again." I whispered stubbornly.

"Miss Swan, I believe I'm falling deeper and deeper in love with you ever second you're near me." Edward said. "And I'll tell you that everyday you can stand being in my presence."

"Well Mr. Cullen, I can tell you that I'm falling faster than you possibly could be." I replied with a smile.

"O, I find that pretty hard to believe." Edward said. "Now, what were you reading? Perhaps we could go find somewhere else to relax and read?"

"That sounds nice, although I don't think you ever did show me the rest of your home." I said.

"Well, outside is the lake, as you've seen, and the forest. Maybe another time we'll go deeper into the forest, but not while it's raining." Edward said. "You've also seen most of the first floor and all of the rooms where we entertain our guests, plus some of the bedrooms… I know where we can go."

Edward took my hand and pulled me up the stairs. He was grinning like an idiot (I could finally see a reason why he and Emmett were related) as he sped through the halls. Finally, he stopped in front of two white doors with gold handles. He smiled proudly back at me before opening them and allowing me to walk inside.

The floor was marbled and most of the walls were glass. Of course now they were streaked with water and allowing the dull grey light in. There was a wall with some books, but for the most part it held portraits and small objects I'm assuming Edward's mother or sisters had collected. In the center of the room, however, was a grand piano. It sat proudly on the marble without anything around it. Edward brushed past me and took a seat at it, motioning for me to sit down next to him. When I did, he set his fingers on the keys and played a note. A note became a few notes, a few notes became a melody, and before I knew it I was completely enraptured by Edward's song. I wiped the tear that was stuck in my eye as his finger's brushed the last key and the last note echoed off the wall.

"Edward, that was beautiful. Who wrote it?" I asked.

"I did." He said.

"You compose as well? I'm beginning to think you aren't human, but instead a god." I said.

"It's about you." Edward whispered in my ear. "I wrote it when I came home after my first visit to Forks. I couldn't get you out of my head and the song came to me."

"I'm honored." I whispered. "Although I don't see how I could be deserving of this gift."

"Then you do not see yourself clearly, for it is I who does not deserve the gift of time in your presence." Edward said.

He turned to look at me and I was once more caught in his gaze. His head slowly started leaning closer, until his mouth was one my own. Just like that last kiss we shared, the simple gesture ignited flames inside me. This time I pressed my lips against this a bit, forcing the kiss deeper. Edward tore away from me a few seconds later, standing against the piano on the far side. He was panting for breath and his eyes seemed to have gone even darker.

"What… what just happened?" I asked.

"I was about to lose control." Edward said after a few moments of silence. "I… I'm sorry Bella, but I shouldn't have done that right."

"What? Are you regretting the kiss from earlier now too?" I asked.

"No, of course not." Edward said. "I… I never could and you should know that. Bella, it's late and it's been a long day. I believe it's time to retire for the night. I'll come find you in the morning so we can have breakfast together."

"Will you actually eat with me?" I asked. I already knew the answer, but that was still hope that it could change.

"No, probably not." Edward grinned, he knew I was expecting that.

Edward walked me back to my room in silence. Even though neither of us said a thing, we were still holding hands and that was perfect for us. He whispered a goodnight before leaving me before the door to my room. That night, I dreamed of Edward again, but this time they were of a future that I hope wouldn't only be a dream.


	11. Outing with Edward

**A/N**- Ok, so not only do I have 4 finals this week (joy), but I'm also helping at a conference for marine mammal strandings since I work for a marine mammal stranding group. So, I wanted to get this chapter out there. Alright, I also have some ulterior motives. First, I would like more opinions on the poll ( I think you guys know what to do). Second, I would love some more reviews! Third, I really really want to get to the next chapter. So, I'm guessing, the next chapter should be up by the end of the week, but if I get more reviews it might be up sooner. Anyway, enjoy!

**Romance4ever**- Yes, Alice does think of everything ;). Thanks for the constant reviewing! I'm glad you're enjoying everything!

**Black Wolf-Dog**- Don't worry… that's coming up! Thanks for the review! I'm glad you like the story!

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I was up rather early the next morning. It was still raining, which made me frown, but then I remembered that I was having breakfast with Edward and smiled. Edward's promise of a breakfast date kept me up, even though the pillow still looked inviting. I was still getting ready when I heard a knock on the door. Only then did I realize that Edward never said what time he'd be here. My mind instantly started racing as I tried to think about what to do.

"Bella, open the door! It's just me!" Alice said.

I instantly relaxed and brushed a strand of hair out of my face. I walked over to the door and opened it enough that she could slip in.

"Good morning Alice." I said.

"Morning!" Alice smiled. "Let me guess, Edward didn't tell you what time he was coming to get you for breakfast and so you thought I was him."

"Uh ya, pretty much." I said.

"I figured as much. Well, that's my brother for you." Alice shrugged. "Now, what dress were you planning on wearing? Or should I just pick out the one I think you should wear."

"Well… I was going to wear the green one…" I said, pointing to the dress I had hanging on the door of the closet.

"Hm… well it's nice, ok, it's better than I expected. Go get changed and then I'll help you with your hair." Alice said.

"I was just going to leave most of it down." I said.

"Eh… no." Alice said. "Don't worry, you can trust me. Now go get changed. I was able to distract my brother for a little bit, but he'll be here soon."

I did as Alice told me and changed into the green dress that I had picked out. Alice helped me with the ties, but as soon as I had the dress on, Alice was playing with my hair. She brushed it out and picked up a few strands before she started working. She pulled and twisted some of the front strands and pulled them around the side of my head, creating a crown of hair. As soon as Alice finished, there was a knock on the door.

"Your brother has perfect timing."

"You don't even know the beginning of it." Alice muttered. "Alright, let's go. He's not very patient."

"Really? I always thought he was." I said.

"Only because he worships the ground you walk on." Alice said.

She pushed me towards the door before slinking around opening the door. She smiled up at her brother who was smiling at me. When she noticed his eyes were only trained on me she shrugged, said a few words to him, and slipped by. Edward only nodded when his sister spoke to him, but other than that he remained where he was in the door.

"Are you ready for breakfast?" Edward asked.

"I am. Am I to presume that you have already eaten?" I asked.

Edward grinned before nodding. "My family and I have already had breakfast. I'm sorry I cannot enjoy breakfast or any of these other meals with you."

"Your presence is enough for me." I replied.

Edward smiled and offered me his arm. I accepted and walked next to him and he led me downstairs. We came up to an open patio. For once, it seemed as though the sun was trying to actually come out. Edward walked over to a table that was partially in the shade and partially in the semi-sunny area. He pulled the chair out for me before quickly walking over to his own chair. As soon as I sat down, a plate of food was set before me. I immediately started on the waffle that had strawberries and whip cream. I hummed my approval, making Edward grin.

"You should really have some." I said.

"I assure you, I'm fine." Edward said. "But I am happy you're enjoying your meal."

"Edward, you should really try a bite, just one." I said. I cut off a piece and held it up for him. Edward frowned and shook his head. "It's just one bite. I'm sure it wouldn't ruin any diet your mother has you on."

"I'm sure Esme would love hearing you say that." Edward grinned. "But again, I promise you I'm fine."

"Fine then." I said. I finished the waffle, fruit, and tea myself while Edward smiled at me from across the table. "So, does the special diet also mean that you can't come in the light? It's nice and warm… so different from the past few weeks."

"I like the shade. Plus, you look beautiful in the light. I can't wait to see in the sunlight." Edward said.

"Well then, when are we expecting some sunlight and clear skies? It seems like years since I last saw the blue sky."

"Well, you might get some today, but other than that… not for some time I believe." Edward said. I frowned slightly at the news, but shook it off rather quickly. I was finding it easier and easier to shake bad news off the longer I was in Edward's presence.

"So, what will be happening today?" I asked.

"I believe it's just a relaxing day. Alice is hoping to go shopping, but I know you don't want to."

"Ugh, ya, I would rather not." I sighed.

"Well then, what else would you rather do?" Edward asked.

"Won't your sister be mad that I cannot go?" I asked.

"I'm sure I'll be able to convince her to change her plans. She'll either wait for another day or she'll just drag Rose and Esme with her." Edward said. "Now, what would _you_ like to do?"

"Um… take a walk perhaps? Before it rains?" I asked.

"It's not going to rain today." Edward said.

"But there are rain clouds on the horizon…" I said.

"Trust me, it's not going to rain. We used to make bets on if it was going to rain or not so we all got very good at predicting the weather." Edward explained.

"Seriously? You took bets on the weather?" I asked.

"We were bored originally and then it became tradition." Edward explained. "So, yes, I believe we could go on a walk. Actually, have you ever ridden a horse?"

"No, it's not considered proper…" I said.

"Forks is quite isolated isn't it?" Edward asked.

"We are." I sighed knowing it was the truth.

"Times are changing Bella. I'm sure you saw my sisters in pants?"

"That was quite scandalous. They were the talk of the town for some time because of that." I confessed.

"I'm not surprised, they usually are." Edward shrugged. "Well, I'll get Alice to find you a pair of pants so we can go riding. It's the best way to see the property, and the fastest."

"Only if you promise the horse won't throw me off." I said. "I've seen some of the horses throw people before and I really don't want to be on the receiving end of that."

"I'll make sure you have a nice tame horse who will not throw you off." Edward smiled. "I am curious though. Dara arrived here on horseback with James and Laurent. She didn't seem nervous or anything on the horse. Has she ridden before?"

"I know she did occasionally ride when she was younger, but stopped rather quickly since her mother was always lecturing her on how to be a proper young woman. I'm assuming she left for Blythe on horseback as well." I said.

"And yet you never even tried?" Edward asked.

"Never. My father might be sheriff, but there is rarely a cause to have a horse. In fact, Charlie usually uses one of Mr. Cavalo's horses when he has to ride." I said.

"Well, it would appear as though today will be have some firsts." Edward said.

"Let's just hope they aren't bad firsts." I said.

"If you're ready, I'm sure we can find Alice so we can get going." Edward said.

"I'm ready… I hope." I said.

"You shouldn't worry so much. I would never let any harm come to you." Edward said. He took my hand and brought it up to his icy lips. A shiver ran down my spine and I tried to convince myself it was from the chill of his lips, but I knew otherwise. I knew there was some sort of spark between us to fuel our attraction.

Edward brought me back inside and it seemed as though Alice appeared as soon as we started walking down the hall. Jasper was walking behind her, quietly observing everything going on. When I thought about it, I've never actually heard Jasper say anything. Alice bounced over to me and grabbed onto my arm.

"Let's go find you some pants." She smiled.

"How did you know that's what we were going to ask you?" I asked, looking between her and Edward. Edward was glaring at his sister, who seemed to remain unphased.

"Jasper and I were upstairs when you started discussing your plans. O, and Edward, you were right. Not only will Rose and Esme be coming with me today, but I _will_ take Bella another time." Alice said.

"I'm sure you will. I'm going to go find a horse for Bella." Edward said. "Alice, don't scare Bella away, please. I want her to stay here for some time."

"Ya ya, go get the horses ready. I'll make sure Miss Bella is treated well." Alice smiled.

Alice nearly dragged me back upstairs. I was surprised that my arm was still on once she had stopped. Alice opened my closet and opened a few drawers that were on the back wall. Sure I'd quickly glanced in all of the drawers, but I hadn't taken any of the clothes out. She, however, would pick one thing up and then throw it over her shoulder until she found whatever she was looking for. Eventually, Alice had laid out a pair of pants, a deep red blouse, and riding boots. She was smiling proudly at the ensemble before signaling me to come over and start putting everything on. She gave me a bra and helped me close the clasp on the back before throwing the blouse at me. The blouse was loose and wasn't too revealing luckily. However, the pants were completely different. They were tight and showed off my legs as though I wasn't wearing anything. I argued for a few minutes, but Alice won, of course. She then helped me with the boots before smiling proudly and tying my hair up. When I was done, Alice led me out of the house and down a path to the stables.

Edward was standing between two horses talking quietly with Jasper when we walked in. Jasper stopped talking abruptly when we got there. He stepped back and bowed his head slightly as Alice and I walked past him. When I reached Alice, he stepped to the side so I could come up next to the horse. Edward handed me some oats and told me to wait with the horse, JT, while he talked to his siblings. I did as I was told and watched as the three, well mainly Edward and Alice, talked. After a few minutes Edward walked back over and helped me onto the horse. It was interesting, to say the least, sitting upon the horse's back as a man would.

"Are you ready?" Edward asked, as he rode up next to me.

"I guess. We won't be going fast, will we?" I asked.

"Not unless you want to." Edward answered. "And if I should say so, you look amazing."

"Thank you." I whispered with a blush.

Edward made sure to keep his horse in step with mine. At times, it seemed as though they were fighting on who had control, but Edward would always eventually win out. We circled the lake once, taking some time to eat a snack Alice had prepared. I have to admit; the lake was even larger than I had originally though. Edward told stories about fishing trips he would go on with his brothers. They would row to the middle of lake, but within a few minutes they were bickering over something and would eventually end up in the lake. Luckily, they quickly graduated to hunting so they haven't been fishing or swimming in some time.

Before we returned to the house, Edward led me deeper into the forest. Any deer, rabbits, or other small creatures would instantly scatter into the bushes before we got too close. At one point, Edward stopped his horse and leaned over the side to get a better look at something.

"Edward, what is it?" I asked.

"Wolves, from the looks of these tracks at least."

"More wolves?" I asked.

"Probably the same ones." Edward said. "And they're fresh too."

"So the wolves followed us here? I didn't think they were that smart." I said.

"These are." Edward said. "We've encountered them before. They're quite the pest."

"Their wild animals, they don't know any better." I cried.

"O trust me, they do." Edward said. He took a minute to calm down before turning his horse back to the house. I turned JT around as well and started walking back down toward the path.

"Are you ready to try to go faster?" Edward asked.

"Not really." I said.

"I promised you no harm would come to you, did I not?"

"You did."

"Then trust me. Hold on with your knees and thighs as well as your hands on the reins. Trust JT to carry and relax. He'll be good to you, don't worry." Edward instructed.

"If I die, I'm coming back to haunt you." I growled.

"I'm never going to let you die." Edward grinned. I smiled slightly before nodding that I was ready to at least try.

Edward kicked his horse into a trot and I did the same. The bouncing quickly got old, but Edward explained how to work with the horse so the bouncing wasn't so wild. After that, trotting wasn't really all that bad. We made it back to the house rather quickly and a servant took the horses from us as soon as we had dismounted. Edward made sure I was safe on the ground before turning on his heels and heading back inside. Edward walked straight into his father's study, pushing the doors just a bit too hard.

"They're back." Edward said, he almost growled it out even.

"Edward, calm down." Carlisle said without looking up.

"Carlisle, the wolves are back!" Edward shouted. I flinched at his tone and looked at Carlisle for help on what to do.

"Edward, you must calm down." Carlisle said with a firm tone.

Before Edward could say something, a scream ripped through the house. It was Dara, I could recognize it anywhere. I was about to leave when Edward wrapped his arm around me and stopped me right in my tracks. Carlisle was up right behind him, gathering a few things from his desk.

"Carlisle." I asked.

"She's having a nightmare. We've been trying to wake her for some time, but nothing has worked." Carlisle explained.

"I should help." I said. I tried to break free from Edward's grip, but he remained strong.

"No, she's been pretty feverish most of the day. I would rather you not and wait till she wakes up in the morning. With the medicine she's getting, she should be fine by then."

"But she's my best friend, my sister!" I argued.

"Bella, calm down. I'll go in there with them and see what's going on. If you need to come in then I'll come get you." Edward said.

"But…" I whispered.

"Bella, it's for the best." Carlisle said. "Why don't you go get cleaned up in your room and then we'll let you know how she is."

I was silent for a minute before relenting. Edward's grip instantly loosened and I fell back slightly into his chest. "Let me know as soon as she's asleep again." I whispered.

"Of course." Edward said.

I nodded and headed back up to my room. I walked past Dara's hearing her whimpering. It took everything in me not to run in and help wake her up. Plus, Edward and Carlisle were standing behind me and they could have easily pulled me from the room. I sighed and continued into my room, letting my hair loose as a servant filled a tub of water for me. Luckily, the warm water did its job and I relaxed into it. I almost fell asleep, but whispers in the next room kept me awake.

After my bath, I sat in my chair and waited for Edward or Alice or Carlisle to come in with news on Dara. Currently, I was surprised she was even that sick, but neither of us have spent a lot of time outside so I guess it really wasn't unexpected. I sighed as I watched the clouds continue to gather overhead. Eventually, the mumbling next door quieted down and my door opened.

"You should knock…" I said quietly.

"I figured you were already out and listening anyway." Edward said.

"Sorry… it's just. This is all so weird. I mean, just a few weeks ago I was going about waitressing at the Running Horse and never thinking there was more than Forks for me in the world. Then you and your siblings show up, not that I'm mad that you did, but ever since then. Everything has just gotten so weird."

"Do you regret coming here with me?" Edward asked. He sat down on the other side of the bed from me.

"No, never. I'm just still trying to wrap my head around everything." I sighed. "How's Dara?"

"Asleep. Carlisle gave her some medicine which knocked her out." Edward explained. "She should be fine by tomorrow morning."

"Did she remember what she was dreaming?"

"Just fragments, but you shouldn't be worried about it." Edward said. "Tomorrow, my family and I will be leaving in the morning to play baseball."

"Baseball?" I asked.

"It's a game we found while we were traveling around. I… I'm not really sure how to explain it."

"Can I come?" I asked.

"I would rather you stay here and watch Dara. As much as I'd love you to be there, everyone else will be gone and I don't think Dara would appreciate waking up to an empty house." Edward said.

"I guess you're right, but you promise that you'll show me another time?" I asked.

"Of course. Now, shouldn't you be hungry? We didn't really have all that much to eat for lunch." Edward said.

"Hm… now that you mention it." I smiled.

Edward once more watched me while I ate and kept polite conversation. After dinner we spent some time in the library looking at the different titles in the large collection. I had found a few I set aside so I could read later. Eventually, I parted from Edward with a long goodnight before retiring to my room.

The next morning, the Cullens were all gone when I woke up. Marcel was the one to inform me and even though Edward had already told me, I still felt a little disheartened. I hate breakfast quietly in the kitchen with Marcel before making my way up to Dara's room. She was still asleep, but at least this time she was quiet and seemed peaceful.

"You never were one to wake up easily." I said when I noticed her snuggling into her pillow more. It was the truth at least. I had threatened her more than once with a bucket of water.

"Where's your suitor?" Dara mumbled.

"Out with his siblings. They were off to play some game, I think they called it baseball or something like that." I said.

"Never heard of it." Dara said as she yawned. "Please tell me I was out for less than a day this time."

"Just through the night and you were quiet this time." I said.

"Was I really that loud?" Dara asked.

"I thought someone was trying to kill you when I first heard you screaming." I said.

"Almost…" Dara whispered.

"You want to talk about?" I asked.

"No, not really." I sighed. "So what's with Edward anyway? He glared at me before walking out of my room when I woke up from my nightmare."

"I don't know. He doesn't like James and he wasn't very happy when they left." I said. Edward had seemed a bit tense when he came to talk to me after Dara had woken up, but he quickly relaxed.

"Ya, I heard James and Laurent left rather quickly." Dara sighed.

"They did, but if it makes you feel any better, Edward almost dragged them out himself." I replied.

"Ya, they don't get along very well, do they?" Dara said with a smile.

"No, not really." I agreed.

"Can you help me out of this bed? I need to go pee really badly." Dara said.

"I would guess you do." I laughed. I helped Dara up and had to help her stay up since she almost collapsed when she tried to stand up. While she was relieving herself, I called a servant to draw up a bath. As Dara soaked, I massaged and cleaned her hair, almost putting her back to sleep.

"Do you think I could possibly relax somewhere other than my room?" Dara asked once she had changed clothes.

"I don't know." I said. "You're still pretty weak."

"I promise I won't go running off. I just want to sit somewhere else." Dara said.

I agreed for some reason and called a servant to help me get Dara downstairs. We came to a closed patio where there were a few cushioned chairs. A servant placed a blanket over Dara while another brought us tea. We watched the rain begin to fall and my head went straight to Edward and his family being out there. I was jolted from my worrisome thoughts with a clap of thunder.

"Holy crap, that was loud." Dara said.

"It sounded close…" I muttered. "I hope Edward comes back soon."

"He'll be fine, don't worry." Dara said. "Bella, I need your help."

"With what?" I asked confused.

"Something's different about James, Laurent, and the Cullens. I'm sure you've noticed their cold skin?"

"Edward said it was slow circulation."

"Bella, no one is that cold from slow circulation." Dara said. "They're also very, very fast. James ran with me and I couldn't even see the trees or anything. It was just a blur."

"So he's a fast runner?"

"And their eyes… no one has eyes blood red or golden in color." Dara continued.

"What are you trying to say, Dara? So they're different, who cares?" I said.

"Bella, they aren't human." Dara stated.

"Right… are the wolves that have been lurking in the forest can change into men." I said as I rolled my eyes.

"They can. They're called werewolves. They were what scared Chase and Justin's horse away before surrounding me. I think they were going to kill me if James didn't show up." Dara said. "And before you say it's not possible… they changed in front of me. I watched them turn from wolf to man and back to wolf."

"Dara… that's not possible." I said. No one can change forms, let alone be an animal and a man.

"Well, it is apparently. Then there are the Cullens, James, and Laurent. James keeps telling me I'm in danger, but won't let me go. I think we're in danger just being with them!"

"Why would we be in danger with them?" I asked. Edward said he'd keep me safe, that he'd never let any danger come to me.

"I don't know, but James said he'd tell me if I guessed right. I just need to do some research and I was hoping you'd help me."

"We'd need to go to the Cullens library and then after that we'd need to go to a bookstore and see if there's anything there." I said after I thought about it. I knew there was no stopping Dara when she had her heart set on something.

"Well, we have a place to start I guess." Dara said.

"Dara, are you sure they some sort of supernatural being?" I asked.

"Not with the Cullens, but there's still something telling me there is. When it comes to James… yes, I'm sure because he's let some things slip, both physically and verbally."

"I think you're still sick, but fine, I'll help you." I sighed.

"Thank you Bella." Dara smiled. "You want to get started today or tomorrow?"

"How about tomorrow. That way you'll be a bit stronger."

"You sure you'd be able to stay away from Edward for that long?" Dara asked.

"Very funny." I laughed.

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**A/N**- So this worked out before… Just a reminder! Go vote on the poll and review! Thanks much! Now… off to study for physics!


	12. And the Truth is Revealed

**A/N**- Hello everyone! So, a few things. First, I'm on spring break so another update should be coming out pretty soon. I have to divide my time between all 3 of my stories right now. Second, I'm sitting here in Jury Duty and updating. You want to know what would make my day? Ya, you guessed it, reviews. Please, you guys! I got one review for the last chapter… 1! I got 3 for KD and 25 for LFL… I would love to have this story to have about the same number of reviews as KD… so please review! Third, part of this chapter was taken from the movie and then spun to fit into my story. Just a heads up, that's all… Finally, enjoy!

**Black wolf-dog**- You guessed correctly! Enjoy their reactions!

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We had been sitting in the room for a few hours now. I could tell Dara was getting bored since this was pretty much just as bad as sitting in bed. At least she got to have better scenery. I kept my silent vigil watching for any signs of Edward and his family. I couldn't believe they were still out in this rain. Dara got sick after only being in the rain for a few minutes yet Edward and his family have been out there for hours! Dear lord, they're going to be cold and wet by the time they get home. Maybe I should have Marcel fire some hot tea and have the maids warm some towels for when they finally come home.

"Do you want to do some research soon?" Dara asked.

"I thought we were going to start tomorrow." I said. I knew Dara was just bored, but I really didn't want to leave my post.

"I'm bored." Dara whined.

"Surprise, surprise." I sighed.

We fell silent once more, watching the rain trickle down the window. There had been some thunder for quite some time, but never any lightening, which put my nerves somewhat at ease. But lately the thunder has quieted and the loudest noise was the rain pattering on the glass windows and roof. Finally I saw a group of shadows coming closer. They were finally coming home! I watched for a few more minutes as they came closer. Everyone looked to be in good moods even though they were all soaked. I could practically see Edward's pale arms through his drenched sleeves. Too bad he had on that vest… The boys continued to laugh and joke with each other while the girls merely watched and laughed off to the side. For the first time since I got here, I really couldn't wait to be a part of them. I held my breath and was sitting at the edge of my seat and the Cullens made it to their driveway.

"Why don't you go greet them?" Dara suggested suddenly.

"What?" Bella asked.

"I said, why don't you go greet them?" Dara repeated.

"Are you sure?" I asked. "I can wait here for you."

"Yes I'm sure. Go Bella… maybe take them some towels… they look wet." Dara said.

I nodded and rushed out to find a maid. Luckily there was already one heading towards the door with an armful of towels. A few towels had been placed on the floor before the door to catch the water dripping of the Cullens as they arrived. I was waiting nervously in the hall as the door opened and the family stepped in. They continued to laugh and barely noticed me as they grabbed their towels and started to dry off. Eventually Rosalie noticed me. Her smile faded and her eyes tightened into a glare. She nodded her head in my direction and I shifted down looking at my feet.

"I hope you haven't been waiting her long." Edward said as he stepped next to me. My head shot up and my eyes instantly met mine.

"No… no I was with Dara in one of the side rooms when we saw you walking back up." I replied. "I decided it might be nice if I got you some towels, but the maids had already thought of that."

"They're used to us going out and playing the rain." Edward shrugged. "I'm sorry that took most of the day though. I didn't get much time to spend with you."

"No, it's fine. I don't want to monopolize all of your time. Your family deserves your attention as well."

"Don't worry Bella, Edward's all yours. He's no fun when you're not there cause all he does is pine over you." Emmett laughed before wrapping his arms around Rosalie and walking back to their room. Edward was glaring at his brother as he left the room before looking at Alice who was now smiling at us.

"I'm sorry you couldn't play with us Bella, I'm sure you would have liked it." Alice beamed.

"Um ya… maybe another time?" I asked.

"You know it." Alice smiled. She grabbed onto Jasper's hand and they were soon off to their room.

"It's like we never get time to ourselves." Edward groaned.

"You get more time alone than any other courting couple." Esme smiled.

I instantly blushed knowing that Esme was right and we were breaking a lot of social rules. I resisted the urge to grip Edward's shirt and bury my face into his chest. Esme just continued to smile and I could tell that Carlisle was trying hard not to laugh.

"Bella, where was Dara last? I heard you saying you were watching us come back up here." Carlisle said.

"She's in that indoor porch off to the side. I think she was about to fall asleep again." I explained.

"Thank you, Bella." Carlisle smiled.

"You two be good!" Esme called before she followed Carlisle out of the hall.

"I'm sorry about them… this is still new to them." Edward said.

"It's fine Edward. Every family has the right to joke with the courting couple, don't they?" I asked.

"It would seem that way. Although Emmett usually takes it too far." Edward sighed.

"I like him, he's funny." I smiled.

"I hope you don't like him too much." Edward mumbled.

"Don't worry, there's only one Cullen I'm truly interested in." I said softly. I raised my hand to his cheek, shocked at how cold the rain made his skin. My smile quickly turned into a frown as the idea of Edward getting sick crossed my mind.

"Edward, shouldn't you go get warm? I mean, you're freezing!" I said.

"I'll be fine." Edward replied, whipping his head away from my hand. "Have you had dinner yet?"

"Um… no. I didn't even realize it was that late. I missed lunch apparently."

"Why don't you go and ask Marcel to start preparing something for you while I go get changed? Then we can eat together."

"Will you be having dinner?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

"My mother brought our dinner with us." Edward smiled.

"Well then, you go get warm and I'll go get something for me to eat." I replied. Edward nodded and shifted on his feet nervously. I remained where I was and watched Edward curiously. It was like he was having a debate with himself over his next move. Finally, one of his hands came up and cupped one cheek while he bent down and kissed the other.

"I'll see you soon then." Edward whispered before stepping back and walking up the stairs.

I was stunned for a few seconds before finally coming back to reality. I walked back to the kitchen and called out to Marcel. He quickly popped up and smiled at me. When I asked if he already had something prepared, he just pointed to a large pot and said it was "Chicken Tortilla Soup". He gave me a spoonful and waited silently as I decided if I wanted a bowl. I finally nodded and Marcel prepared me a bowl and added a handful of chips to the top. By the time he placed it in front of me, Edward was back at my side.

"Thank you, Marcel." I said as I grabbed my bowl and turned to Edward.

"Where would you like to eat?" Edward asked.

"The library? I love being surrounded by books." I said.

"You would." Edward laughed. He took my bowl of soup from me and offered me his other arm. I accepted it and Edward led us to the wing of the house that housed the large library.

As soon as we walked in, I smiled as I inhaled the smell of all of the old books. Edward led me over to a sitting area that had a small couch. I sat down and he handed me my bowl before sitting down next to me.

"So, are you going to explain baseball to me? Well, more so than you already have?" I asked.

"It's better seen…" Edward said.

"So, do I get to watch soon?" I asked.

"At some point, I promise." Edward smiled. "But I want to know more about you."

"You already know pretty much everything." I sighed. "What about you? You're still a mystery to me and I'm even staying in your home!"

"There's really not all that much to know." Edward shrugged. "I'm working under my father as I finish my studies on being a doctor… I've had to put up with Emmett for far too long. Um, Alice is my favorite sibling even though she annoys me quite often. Jasper's the most understanding and I usually end up just ignoring Rosalie."

"That's not nice."

"Trust me, it's about the only thing I can do." Edward sighed.

"What about you? What happened to your mother? I never heard anything about her back in Forks, just about your father."

"Um, after I was born, she decided she was trapped. She never liked Forks, but she still married my father in hopes that they'd eventually moved. When she found out she was pregnant with me, she realized Charlie would never leave. So, after I was born and she was sure Charlie was capable of caring for me, she left. My father was heartbroken, but eventually he got over most of it. We became each others everything. That's why I always go back to visit and even stay back at home with him every once in a while. I hope someone back home is taking care of him otherwise he's probably starving. He never could cook and the one time he tried he almost brunt down the house."

"I'm sorry about your mother." Edward whispered.

"I barely remember her so it never hurt me as much as it did Charlie." I shrugged.

We sat in silence for a few more minutes and I finished my soup. When I was done, Edward set the bowl down on the table and we just sat there. Eventually, I decided to be bold. I moved over so I was leaning against Edward. I let my head fall slightly so it was resting against Edward's chest. Edward grew stiff for a moment before his arm eventually wrapped itself around my shoulder and he pulled me closer into him. He nuzzled his nose into my hair slightly and squeezed me a bit more tightly. Quickly, Edward seemed to realize what he was doing and she sat back up, but his arm didn't leave my shoulders.

"Why are you scared?" I asked.

"What are you talking about?" Edward replied.

"You seem nervous and scared. One moment your not scared to get close and the next you seem to want to keep me at arms distance." I replied.

"I just don't want to mess this up. You… you mean more to me than anyone else I've ever known. I don't want to hurt you…" He replied.

"You won't, I trust you."

"You shouldn't." Edward replied.

"Why not? Are you going to start saying the same thing James tells Dara? That your dangerous?" I asked.

"I am." Edward whispered.

"You might be dangerous for some unknown reason, but I know you won't hurt me." I said.

"If you knew the full truth, you wouldn't be saying that." Edward sighed.

"Then tell me the full truth." I replied, looking him straight in the eyes. Edward didn't break our gaze off instantly, but eventually turned with a sigh.

"Not tonight. I promise soon, just not tonight. I don't want to ruin it." Edward pleaded.

"You promise soon?" I asked.

"I promise." Edward nodded.

"Alright then." I said. I curled back up into Edward and closed my eyes, relishing in the peacefulness of the library and the evenness of Edward's breathing. I don't know how long I managed to stay awake, but I remember waking up slightly when Edward picked me up, but other than that… nothing.

oOoOoOo

The next morning I got up just like every morning and called a maid to help me with my dress for today. I really did hate these dresses. They were too tight, too confining, too uncomfortable, too upper class. I wanted to go back to the regular dresses we wore when we worked. Still, I put the dress on and didn't complain as the maid helped tie it up. I heard a knock and while I hoped it was Edward and I knew it was Dara. I called out my permission for her to come in and she quickly made her way over to my bed. I was surprised to see her walking around as though she had never been sick and that she was already ready for the day. She must have been up for some time already…

"I wish we could go back to the simpler dresses we used to wear." I sighed.

"You're being courted by a lord, Bella. Those days are most likely long gone." Dara replied.

"So, what are we doing today?" I asked.

"You don't have anything planned with Edward?" Dara asked. I could hear the surprise in her voice and I thought about our conversation last night to see if we had planned anything, but nothing came up.

"No… should I?" I asked.

"No, but I'm surprised you don't. Edward just seems to capitalize on your time as much as possible." Dara said.

"If I didn't know any better… I'd say that you were jealous." I laughed.

"You wish." Dara smiled. "No, I just miss spending time with you. Anyway, I was thinking we could go down to the library so I, or well, we could figure out what James and the Cullens are."

"You're still convinced they're not human?" I sighed.

"Yes and I explained this all to you yesterday."

"I know, it's just… I don't know. It's just hard to believe I guess."

"Well, start believing it. I don't think we have a choice of not knowing anymore." Dara said.

"Alright, well, why don't we go get breakfast and then we'll start?" I said.

"Sounds good to me." Dara replied.

We both left my room and made a beeline for the kitchen. Marcel seemed to know we were coming because he had pancakes ready within minutes of us arriving. We both hummed our pleasure and talked quietly as we ate our breakfast. Marcel told us the latest gossip he had heard, but it really had nothing to do with us so we only paid half a mind to it. However, our peaceful breakfast was interrupted when Alice ran into the kitchen and grabbed Dara's hand.

"Dara! There you are!" Alice exclaimed. "You need to come with me."

"Why?" Dara asked.

"You'll see." Alice smiled. She yanked Dara off her chair and started pulling her down the hall. I had to run for a few steps in order to catch up and see what all of the emotion was.

Alice dragged Dara through a few hallways before making it to the front of the house. The clouds were covering the sky, as usual, and there was a light layer of fog on the ground. "Alice, why are we here?" Dara asked.

"You'll see in five… four… three… two… and one." Alice said.

As Alice said "one" we heard and then saw two figures on horseback come out of the fog. Dara instantly held her breath and walked to the edge of the front step. We watched as the riders came closer until we could tell that they were in fact James Rothschild and his companion Laurent. Dara breathed out James' name and was about to run out to meet him when Alice held her back. So, she waited till James dismounted and handed the horse off to the stable boy who came up to take them from him. As soon as Alice had released Dara's arm, she was off and jumping into James' arms. I smiled, happy to see Dara happy once more. I could tell Dara was in love with James, even though he was just an enigma to her… just like Edward was to me. Was I already in love with Edward? Should I be? I really don't think I have a choice in the matter for my heart has already decided I am. Yes, I am in love with Edward Cullen.

As I thought about it, Edward seemed to appear from nowhere and stood next to me. His gaze was hard on James and he stood slightly in front of me, as though he was protecting me from James. Not that I could fathom a reason as to why I would have to be protected from Dara's love.

"Hello Laurent, James." Carlisle said. Now, I realized the rest of the family had joined us on the front step and most of the mirrored Edward's reaction to James' arrival.

"Carlisle." James nodded. "Thank you for nursing Dara back to health."

"She wasn't as sick as we thought originally. Although, today is her first day walking around again."

"Then I'll make sure she takes it easy." James said. He looked down on Dara fondly, a side of James I'd never actually seen before.

"Carlisle, your letter said there was something you needed to discuss. Would you like to discuss it now or privately in your study?" Laurent asked. He looked so seriously. His eyes were hard and his lips were tense

"In my study, please. Although, I do believe Edward was planning to take Bella out and Dara had plans on looking around the library today." Carlisle said. I looked up at Edward, completely surprised with the fact we do have plans today. I was sure we didn't…

"Well then, shall we?" Laurent asked.

"Actually, I'll be staying with Dara. I'd like to spend some time with her again." James said.

"Of course." Carlisle said. "Laurent can fill you in later."

Carlisle, Laurent, and the rest of the Cullens returned to the house, disappearing into the different halls quickly. I just waited for Edward to explain what we were doing today.

"I'm sorry to steal Bella away from you Dara, but I wish to discuss a few things with her… privately." Edward said.

"Of course… I was expecting you to steal her away at some point today. We'll be in the library whenever you're done talking." Dara said. She pulled James into the house, leaving just Edward and I on the porch.

"Edward, what are we doing? I thought I was going to start helping Dara with her research." I said.

"Research? Research on what?" Edward asked. I was trying to find a way to put it into words when Edward stopped me. "Wait, don't answer that. Carlisle's already told me. I actually wanted to talk to you about that, which is why we're going out."

"Out?"

"Yes. This time however, we're only taking one horse?" Edward asked.

"Only one?" I asked.

"I'm using it as an excuse to hold you closer." Edward whispered. He led me down to the stables and pulled out a horse that had already been saddled. He picked me up and set me on the horse, side saddled of course, and then jumped on behind me. He kicked the horse into a gallop and we tore out of the barn. I squeezed my eyes shut and gripped Edward's arms, which were wrapped around me. He tightened his grip on be slightly, but never slowed the horse down. After a few minutes he stopped the horse and I opened my eyes. Much to my relief, we were in a meadow, much like the one back home. Edward dismounted behind me before helping me down. He tied the horse to a tree while I looked around the meadow. Before I could really explore anything, Edward had taken my hand and was leading me to the other side of the trees.

"What did Dara tell you? Of her theories?" Edward asked.

"She just thought you, your family, James, and Laurent weren't human. She told me about… um… werewolves? She said she encountered some on her way home from Blythe and that's when James had rescued her. Then she went on to tell me how James was super fast and super strong and combine that with the cold skin, that you aren't human, but something else. Plus, James is always telling her he's dangerous and that he's not safe and blah blah blah."

"James isn't lying." Edward said.

"What?" I asked.

"He… we are dangerous. We are too dangerous for you and Dara to be around." Edward sighed.

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

"Remember those tracks we saw the other day?" I nodded my head, "They belonged to the werewolves. They're like our mortal enemy and that's why I rushed us back home."

"So… you're not human?" I asked.

"No… well I used to be." Edward sighed.

"I'm completely lost." I said.

Edward sighed before grabbing my arm and swinging my onto his back. I squeaked and clung to him so I wouldn't fall. "Dara told you about our speed?" He asked. I just nodded. He grinned over his shoulder at me before starting to run. Suddenly, the forest became a blur around us. The wind was whipping around my face so I buried it into Edward's shoulder. When we got to where he was going, he dropped me onto the ground, almost causing me to fall back on my butt.

"What was that?"

"That was me running at a medium speed."

"Medium speed? You're kidding."

"I'm afraid not." Edward sighed. "You ready?"

"For what?"

"To see what I really look like." Edward whispered in my ear before throwing me over his back once more and continuing to run through the forest. Once more I closed my eyes as he ran, not wanting to see the world move past me at such a speed. Once more, he dropped me so quickly I was about to fall had I not caught myself.

"What's going on Edward?" I asked.

"You need to see what I really am, what I truly look like." He said as he continued to walk ahead. He came to a patch of sunlight and stopped. I watched him reach up and unbutton his shirt before stepping into the light patch. He then turned around and I gasped. His skin was glittering like… like…

"It's like a million little diamonds." I whispered. "It… you are beautiful."

"Beautiful? It's a curse… it's the skin of a killer, Bella." Edward said as he turned around. He looked like he was in so much pain, but still… this was just so… amazing. "I'm a killer…"

"I don't believe that." I said as I followed him through the trees and rocks. "You would have killed me by now if you were some sort of soulless killer."

"I don't have to be soulless to be a killer, but I'm still one." Edward replied.

"No you're not." I continued to deny.

"It's because you believe the lie, the camouflage. I'm the world's most dangerous predator. Everything about me invites you in. My face, my voice, even my smell, not that I would need any of that…" Edward said. Before I knew it he had taken off through the trees, far too fast for me to see. "As if you can outrun me!" He yelled from the top of an outcropping of rocks. "As if you could fight me off…" Edward said as he pulled a tree out of the ground and threw it at another, smashing both. "I am designed to kill."

"I… I don't care." I said, as strongly as I could muster.

"I've killed people before." Edward said darkly.

"I don't care… I trust you." I repeated.

"I wanted to kill you. I've never wanted to kill a human so badly in my life." Edward said as he continued to step forward.

"Blood?" I whispered.

"It's what I live on." Edward explained. "Have you figured out what I am yet? What my family is?"

"I… I don't know." I replied quietly…

"Vampire… I'm a vampire, a blood sucker, a demon."

"You're not a demon." I argued.

"You have no idea." Edward sneered.

"I wouldn't trust a demon. You can't be a demon. I trust you Edward." I said.

"Don't." Was his simple reply.

"I'm still here, aren't I? I trust you." I tried to get closer to him to prove it, but he ran away, using his full speed this time.

"My family, we're different from others of our own kind, including James and Laurent. We don't drink from humans, but instead animals. But you… your blood sings to me. I've never wanted someone as much as I've wanted you." Edward said.

"I trust you." I repeated for the millionth time. This time I was able to get closer to Edward, close enough that our noses touched.

"I can read minds… all around me I hear people's thoughts. It's how I've been talking to Alice and the rest of my family while you and Dara have been with us. But you… you I can't read. You're a blank wall… nothingness. For the first time, all of the voices are gone."

"Is something wrong with me?" I asked. Finally, Edward laughed.

"I tell you I can read minds and you think something is wrong with you? No, you're perfect… it's me who doesn't deserve you." Edward sighed before turning serious once more. "But now… now I need to know what you're thinking." I approached me like a lion stalking a lamb, until I was pressed against a boulder. He caged me in, but I wasn't worried.

"I'm scared…" I whispered. Edward instantly backed off and sadness was immediately covering his features.

"Good…"

"I'm not afraid of you. I'm scared you're going to leave me. I'm scared I'll be back in Forks before I know and I'll never see you again. I don't want to have to see the day when you're not there. That's what I'm scared of. I could never be afraid of you. You make me feel protected and safe. You're my comfort, my safe haven and I never want to leave that."

"You don't know how long I've waited for you." He wrapped me in his arms and I buried my face into his chest, inhaling his musky aroma. "And so the lion fell in love with the lamb." He whispered into my hair.

"What a stupid lamb."

"What a sick masochistic lion." Edward replied.

For the rest of the day, Edward and I sat together back in the middle where we had originally arrived at. This time, Edward was so free and uninhibited since he didn't have to hide what he was. For a while, we simply just stared at each other, nothing caring about what was going on in the world around us. When the fog rolled in and I shivered, Edward gave me his jacket since apparently, it was of no use to him. For a few short hours, I didn't think about the rest of the world or the difference between Edward and I. For a few sort hours, it was just me and the man that I loved.


	13. Even More Information

**A/N**- Sorry for the long wait… I don't have any more chapters written ahead of time so I can't update as fast. I hope you guys all understand and thank you so much for being so patient! It's appreciated. I want to let everyone know that none of my stories with ever be forgotten or left unfinished (currently Trust had the longest wait with over 2 years I believe… but I did finish!). Also, thank you for a few more reviews! It's always appreciated and loved (especially when I find out during a boring lecture). So, enjoy this chapter and I'll see you next time!

**Black Wolf-Dog**- Yes, the werewolves will be back, don't worry. You'll see how they play into everything soon. However, a few things (mainly in KD) have to happen first…

**Justm**- It was one of my favorite parts too so of course I added it (and of course none of the credit is mine....). I'm glad you're enjoying it!

**Romance4ever**- Ya, I wasn't sure how I wanted Bella to find out, but I'm happy it happened that way… wow, I sound like a reader and not the writer! Thanks for the review!

* * *

Edward and I spent the rest of the day together, but he never really disclosed any more information about vampirism. Whenever I asked another question he would just tell me to save it for later because Carlisle was going to talk to both Dara and I at the same time. That way, we wouldn't have differing information and so Carlisle or anyone else wouldn't have to answer the same question twice. I relented easily and just enjoyed my evening with Edward. Once more he watched me eat dinner, but this time I understood why he wasn't eating so I didn't question it. After dinner, Edward escorted me back to my room before kissing my hand gently and telling me goodnight.

Once more, I found myself dreaming of Edward and unlike Dara; I never could remember the details of my dreams. I just knew I was dreaming of him. Still, the dream me made me wake up in the middle of the night. When I opened my eyes, I was startled to see Edward watching me on the other side of the room.

"Am I still dreaming?" I asked.

"If I said you were, would you believe me?" Edward whispered. He almost looked as though he was in pain standing against the wall.

"Probably, even though I wouldn't want to." I replied.

"No, you're not dreaming." Edward said.

"How long have you been coming into my room?" I asked.

"Since I met you almost." Edward confessed.

"At the inn?"

"Yes."

"How?"

"The window." Edward smiled. He walked over to my bed and sat down at the foot.

"When do you sleep then? I mean, you can't be watching me sleep the whole night. I'm not that interesting."

"No, you're fascinating."

"So, when do you sleep?"

"I don't."

"Ever?"

"No. Vampires don't or really can't sleep." Edward confessed. "Do you know you talk in your sleep?"

"So I've been told." I groaned. "I didn't say anything embarrassing did I?"

"No…" Edward smiled.

"But I have said something that has entertained you."

"You've said my name a few times. You don't know what I wouldn't give to know what you were dreaming of that would cause you to say my name while you slept." Edward said.

"I couldn't tell you. Dara's the one who remembers all of her dreams." I said. Edward just nodded and played with the edge of my blankets.

"I should go… you need to sleep." Edward said.

"No!" I said a bit too quickly. "I mean, stay with me tonight?"

"Bella… your reputation…"

"It's your family here."

"And a handful of gossiping maids." Edward groaned.

"Then leave early in the morning before the maids get here. At least stay with me till I fall asleep." I said.

"Bella…" Edward groaned.

"Please?"

Edward finally agreed and moved up to the head of the bed next to me. He leaned up against the headboard and crossed his arms. I couldn't see how he was comfortable, but I wasn't going to argue. I settled back into the covers next to him and closed my eyes. After a few minutes, I turned over and curled into Edward's side. I could feel him hesitate, but eventually he wrapped an arm around me and kept me close. I was asleep in only a couple of minutes.

oOoOoOo

"Morning Bella!" Alice chimed as she walked into my room right as I woke up. I really didn't need her excitement this early in the morning.

"Morning, Alice." I yawned.

"Come on, it's time to get up. Dara's about to wake up and I have to make sure she also gets out of bed." Alice said. She pulled me out of the bed and made sure I had a dress for the day before leaving me in the hands of my maid.

After I had taken my bath and changed into the dress Alice had picked out for me, I made my way downstairs. All of the Cullens and James and Laurent were sitting in the library. The only person who was missing was Dara, but I heard her walking down almost right behind me. So, I found my spot next to Edward and waited to see why we were all together.

"Please, sit down." Carlisle said once Dara had come down and gotten comfortable. "So, you two have found out about who we really are."

"Yes, yesterday." I said.

"Do you know the differences between my family and James and Laurent?"

"You are vegetarians who drink from animals while they are regular vampires who drink from humans." Dara explained.

Well, that would probably explain the bad blood between the two groups.

"Good, we got the biggest parts taken care of. However, we have to know that you will not tell anyone else. While their numbers have decreased, there are still vampire hunters out there. Plus, it is one of our laws that we are not to tell mortals what we are." Carlisle said.

"So then, why decide to tell us?" I asked.

"Well, Dara was getting increasingly curious and asking quite a few questions." Carlisle said.

"Plus, I… we thought it wouldn't be fair to hide it from you since you were staying here. We would be in and out at different times and the whole diet excuse was getting old." Edward said.

"Is something going to happen now that we know?" Dara asked. "I didn't mean to cause any trouble, I was just curious and I can promise you, we won't tell anyone."

"And it was curiosity that killed the cat." Rosalie muttered.

"Rose." Esme chided. Rosalie just rolled her eyes and leaned back into Emmett.

"If the Volturi found out, then they would either force us to change you or kill you and probably make us watch." Edward whispered.

"That's saying they would know we told or where we were." James said.

"And that we were still human." Dara said.

"You're planning on changing Dara?" I asked, looking at James.

"We never completely agreed on it." James said as he looked down at Dara.

"That's not a simple decision, I hope you know that Dara." Carlisle said.

"I do…" She muttered.

"It takes the trust of the one being turned and the utmost restraint for the one doing the turning. If they don't stop drinking, then you won't be regaining consciousness." Carlisle continued.

"Are there any other questions?" Carlisle asked.

"How did your… family come to be?" I asked.

"Now, that's a long story and you two must be hungry, especially you, Dara, since you missed dinner last night." Carlisle said.

"You missed dinner?" Both Esme and James asked.

"Ya, I did." Dara muttered. I was just as surprised since I hadn't seen Dara since that morning.

"Why?" James asked.

"Just because." I replied with another shrug. "I can wait though."

"No, we won't have you waited." Esme said as she flagged down a passing maid. "Amy, go tell Marcel to make Bella and Dara some breakfast. We'll be in the dining room shortly."

"Yes Mrs. Cullen." The maid said.

"Really, Esme, there's no need to rush anything." I said. "It's not like we haven't skipped meals before."

"That's definitely true." Dara agreed quietly.

"Well, while you're here you won't be missing any meals." Esme said. "Come, knowing Marcel, he already has breakfast ready for the two of you."

"I'm sorry, but does Marcel know about you?" Dara asked.

"He knows we are on a special diet and he believes we have a separate kitchen where I prepare everything." Esme explained. "Other than that, no, he knows nothing."

"And the other servants?" Bella asked.

"We're careful around them. They all know nothing." Carlisle explained.

After we sat down on the table, plates were placed before Dara and I. They were filled with potatoes, eggs, and toast. Jars of fresh jams and jellies were also placed before us. As soon as the servants were gone, we started eating. Everyone was silent, or well as quiet as they needed to be. Alice was practically sitting in Jaspers lap and was giggling into his ear. He had his arms wrapped tightly around her and was just smiling. Emmett had an arm draped lazily across Rosalie's shoulder, who was glaring at Dara and I. Although, to tell you the truth, I was getting used to her attitude. Esme and Carlisle were watching everyone from the heads of the table and smiling contently. Laurent wasn't paying attention to anything and James was watching everyone while keeping Dara close to him.

"So, what's the history with the family?" Dara asked when she was almost done.

"I was first changed almost four hundred years ago," Carlisle began. "My father was a minister as well as a vampire hunter. I was to take up his profession, both as a minister and a hunter, when I was changed. I was able to hide from my father and his friends while I changed, although I'm not completely sure how. When the change was done, I did have the urge to drink, but I knew I couldn't. So I left the city and returned to a more, pastoral life. That's where I learned how to control my hunger so I only ate from animals. After a few decades, I returned to the city and began working on a medical degree. I was able to master my urge for blood so much that I could work with the sick and dying. Which, is how I met Edward."

"My parents had both fallen ill with influenza. My father had died, but my mother was still alive, but barely. Then one day, I started to get sick. I was administered to the same hospital, which is the one that Carlisle was working at. My mother died a day or so later. My health then quickly declined. I probably only had a day left when Carlisle came to me and told me what he was. Apparently my mother had asked him to save me, no matter what. So he gave me a choice, live like him or die in the hospital. He changed me that night and somehow got me out of the hospital. I was with him for almost a decade after that. I was with him when Carlisle found Esme."

"Unlike Edward, Carlisle, and any of the others, I tried to kill myself. My husband was abusive and I had just lost my son. I didn't want to keep going so I tried to jump off a cliff. It didn't work and I was taken to a hospital, which is where I met Carlisle. He changed me there and we've been together ever since that." Esme was giving Carlisle a smile as she retold her history, a smile that Carlisle seemed to be more than happy to return.

"A few years after Esme, Carlisle found Rosalie." Emmett said. "Her past is her past and she can decide if you ever know about that. A decade or so after Rosalie was turned, she was out hunting and she found me. I was being attacked by a grizzly bear when she found me. She saved me, took care of the bear, then took me to Carlisle. Apparently, she begged Carlisle to save me. He did and we've been married a handful of times since then."

"And then finally Jasper and I came." Alice chirped.

"You found Carlisle?" I asked.

"Yup. I don't know who changed me. I just woke up in an asylum. I was able to get out and then I went to a diner where I knew Jasper would be. Once we found each other, we went off in search of Carlisle. I surprised pretty much everyone, but Carlisle welcomed us into his family. Since then, we've all been a happy family."

"You knew Jasper would be at a diner?" Dara asked.

"I can see the future. When someone decides what they are going to do, I can see that decision and how it will play out." Alice said. "Of course it can always change if the person changes their mind."

"So you have a gift, just like Edward?" I said.

"Edward has a gift?" I asked. "What kind of gift?"

"I can read minds." Edward said calmly.

"WHAT?" Dara screamed. I startled in my seat because I wasn't expecting that kind of reaction. "This whole time, you've been reading our minds?"

"It's not like I want to." Edward said. "It's easy since you broadcast your thoughts."

"Well sorry, no one warned me." Dara huffed.

"He gives us as much privacy as he can. He doesn't intrude unless he has to and he can't speak to us telepathically." Carlisle explained.

"Still…" Dara whined.

"And while Edward can read minds and I can see the future, Jasper can manipulate emotions and he can also feel a person's emotions."

"Have you manipulated emotions since we've gotten here?" Dara asked.

"No, there's been no need. Everyone was happy and then you were sick when James left. You never had too much time to get too depressed. When you were, I was usually out hunting." Jasper said.

"Jasper's our newest vegetarian. It's been the hardest for him to have you here." Carlisle explained.

"Sorry." I whispered without thinking about it.

"Has anyone ever slipped up? I mean, other than James and Laurent since they're not vegetarians?" Dara asked.

"Edward had a phase where he returned to the more… natural lifestyle." Carlisle began.

"I only drank from criminals… rapists, murders…" Edward clarified.

"I slipped up once. I ran into my singer and couldn't help myself." Emmett said.

"Your singer?" I asked.

"Singers are people whose blood sings to us. Most of the time, we have no control over it and drain them. They have the sweetest blood apparently."

"Bella, you're my singer." Edward said. "I wanted to drain you that first night I met you, but then when I saw how that boy acted… I felt more protective than anything. After that, I knew I wouldn't never be able to drink from you, but it's tested my restraint every day."

"There was still no need to bring her into this life!" Rose said abruptly. "You could have just left her and never returned!"

"I tried Rose, and you know that." Edward growled. He dropped my hand, which he had been holding under the table, and stood up, throwing his chair back.

"Both of you, calm down." Carlisle ordered.

"It's true though! This could end badly! We'd have to move, we'd have to pretty much disappear!" Rose continued.

"And by badly you mean, I become the meal." I said quietly.

"Exactly… for both of you." Rose said, glaring at Dara and me.

"I'm already dead." Dara muttered.

"Still…" Rosalie started again.

"Rosalie, that's enough!" Carlisle said.

"I have a feeling this meal and discussion is over." Dara said. "James, can we go walk around?"

"Of course." James said.

"Be careful James, we wouldn't want you to… slip up." Rosalie sneered.

"Rosalie!" Carlisle yelled.

"Come on Dara." James said. He pulled Dara out of the room, leaving me the only human there and unfortunately, the main target of Rosalie's glare. I gulped and looked down at my now empty plate, avoiding Rosalie and everyone else in the room.

"Just ignore her, Bella. That's what I usually do." Edward growled. "Let's go Bella."

Edward helped me out of my chair before escorting me out of the room. I could tell Edward was still mad, he was close to seething. I was surprised he didn't have steam coming out of his ears; then again, he was ice cold so it would be hard to create steam. Edward tore outside, slamming the doors as he went. I just kept trying to keep up.

"Edward, calm down." I said.

"She has no right, Bella. She has no right to blame you or Dara for anything." Edward said.

"Everything she said was right though. She just made it sound worse than it was." I said, trying to calm Edward down. He was pacing in front of a green pasture where a few horses were lazily grazing.

"Bella, do you not understand how quickly I really could kill you?"

"We've been over this before, Edward. I. Trust. You." I said, forcing Edward to look at me.

"What did I do to deserve you?" Edward asked.

"I think you have it the other way around." I said with a smile.

"No, can we have a nice and quiet day?" I asked.

"What would you like to do?" Edward asked.

"I don't know. You're the one who lives here."

"We can't play baseball yet so we can't take you out there." Edward said.

Damn… he does know me pretty well.

"And you'll have to tell me what you want to do since I can't hear your thoughts."

"Wait… you can't hear her thoughts?" Emmett asked as he came running over.

"No, Emmett, I can't." Edward groaned.

"O damn… this is just… this is just perfect." Emmett said with a smile. "Bella, do you know how to play chess? Or any card games?"

"Um… I guess." I said, looking at Edward curiously.

"He wants you to play against me. He says I cheat because I can read his thoughts so I either know his next move or the cards in his hands." Edward shrugged.

"Which he totally does." Emmett said. "The only time Edward is every forced to play honestly is when he goes up against Alice. Which never, ever happens."

"And it won't for some time." Alice said as she walked up behind Emmett. "Bella, I need your help."

"With what?" I asked.

"Dara will be returning to Ruthridge with James tomorrow morning. I want to get her things packed and I figured you'd know the dresses she'd like to take with her." Alice said.

"Dara's leaving?"

"Well, that the plan right now." Alice shrugged. "It's not like you'll never see her again."

"True. Alright, I'll come help you." I said before turning back to Edward. "I'll see you in a little bit?"

"Come up in about ten minutes." Alice said before she stole me away.

We spent all ten minutes arguing over dresses for Dara. She better understand the pain I went through to get some of the simpler dresses for her. If Alice had her way, Dara would be looking like the Queen instead of just a lady. Although, it would have been amusing to see Dara stuck in one of the bigger and more glamorous dresses. Another time, I guess. Almost exactly ten minutes later, Edward knocked on the door and walked in.

"How did you know we weren't changing?" Alice asked.

"I can't read Bella, but I can read you, darling sister." Edward said. "Are you done?"

"I guess so. I can just get Dara to help me finish at some point." Alice shrugged. "Have fun you two! Don't do anything Jasper and I wouldn't do."

"That puts some restraints on us." Edward muttered. We walked out of the room, but stopped in the hall. "So, where would you like to go?"

"Again, I don't care. I just like spending time with you." I said.

"Let's just go down to the green room. It's relaxing in there and Emmett probably won't annoy is there." Edward said. I nodded my agreement and he led me downstairs to the room.

Once we were in the green room, we found a bench to sit on. We sat for a few minutes in silence, perfectly content with the absence of words. I was curled into Edward's side, my head resting on his shoulder. He had an arm draped across my shoulders and I idly played with his fingers. His cold skin still fascinated me, even though I knew why they were so cold now.

"Do you have any plans for changing me?" I asked.

"Why would you ever want to become like me?" Edward asked.

"So I could be with you for forever." I replied.

"This is far from the perfect life, Bella, and I only want you to have the perfect life."

"My perfect life is a life where I could spend years upon years upon years with you. I don't want to become old and wrinkly while you're still young and beautiful."

"You'd still be beautiful." Edward said.

"Still… I don't want to have to hide our relationship and that's what would happen as soon as I became old enough to be your mother." I said.

"Bella, can we please not talk about this now? I've had enough arguing with Rosalie to get me angry for a month and I really don't want to argue with you right now."

"Can you at least think about it instead of shooting it down immediately?" I asked.

"I will." Edward nodded.

"So, what's your favorite animal to hunt?"

"I like mountain lions the best."

"I could see that." I nodded. "Can I watch you hunt some time."

"You have a death wish, don't you?"

"No, not really. I just think it would be fascinating."

"When we hunt, we hand our senses over to our most primal instincts. If you were there… I don't even want to think about what could happen."

"If I was there you'd probably come after me rather than a mountain lion?"

"Yes, most likely." Edward said. "I wish it wasn't true and you could see what being a vampire is like, but it's too dangerous. If I have to hide parts of my life to keep you safe still, then I will."

"Alright…" I said. I continued to play with Edward's fingers while I thought of something else we could talk about.

"Bella, when would you like to go back and see Charlie?" Edward asked.

"I don't know, why? I like being here with you." I said.

"I just figured you would like to see your dad again soon. We aren't married or even engaged yet so I feel bad for taking you so far away from your father." Edward said.

"Do you have plans on changing that at some point?" I asked.

"At some point." Edward murmured.

"I guess we could go see Charlie whenever it works best for you, but don't move anything around because of me." I said.

"How about in a few days? After Dara and James have left?" Edward said.

"That works for me." I smiled up at him.

"Good." Edward replied. "Just to let you know, Dara and James just got back."

"I should probably go see Dara." I sighed. Edward and I got up and started walking up to Dara's room. I told him goodbye when we got to the room and he kissed my cheek quickly before walking off.

"So you'll be leaving?" I asked after James had left.

"Tomorrow morning." Dara nodded.

"I figured you would." I sighed. "At least this time I'll know you're alright."

"And I'm sure these vampires know how to get messages to each other quickly if we need on another." Dara added. "How long are you planning on staying here?"

"Actually, I'm not sure. Edward wanted to go back to Forks for a little bit. He believes he's kept me from Charlie for too long."

"Then you'll be returning?"

"I believe so. I don't want to leave Edward, unless needed. Even then it would only be for a few minutes."

"I understand that perfectly." Dara said. "Alright, well, you're going to send me a letter when you get back, right?"

"Of course." I smiled. "And you're going to send me a letter to tell me you got to Ruthridge safely."

"I will." Dara nodded.

"You two sound as though you're being separated for the rest of your lives." Alice said as she walked in. "Dara's not even leaving till tomorrow!"

"We know…" Dara and I said together.

"Well then, let's go downstairs. I believe we're all spending some time together."

"Everyone?" Dara asked.

"Yes, the boys have agreed to be civil at least for tonight." Alice nodded. "Now hurry up, this truce might not last forever."


	14. Last Days Together

A/N- Sorry about not updating in forever. I have so many papers and tests to study for this quarter that my life has been school, school, school…. I've gotten a few chapters ahead, but I think I might continue to hold off until I'm done. I know where I'm going with the story so it shouldn't be too much longer until regular posts are coming up.

**Black Wolf-Dog**- Truces can last if there's something else distracting the two parties from fighting.

**Romance4ever**- I'm glad you like everything! Thanks for the review!

**TwilightLuver**- I'm glad you liked everything, including my incorporation of the movie lines. Don't worry about writing a lot, I love hearing from my readers!

**Shesonfire94**- It's in it's own world/universe so think of like Jane Austen period manors, but small towns like the west… it's weird, I know, but I like it. It's creates a needed separation.

* * *

Alice was correct, once again. Everyone sat around the table and acted cordially to their neighbors. Although Edward would never actually talk to James and James almost completely ignored Edward, they weren't trying to kill each other. Emmett was telling stories about some of his pranks and anything else he thought was hilarious. It seemed as though everyone in the family had at least one story told about them, but Edward and Alice definitely had the most. Every time Emmett told a story about Edward, he would grimace as soon as he knew what the story was then lean back, almost as though he was trying to hide in himself. I would just squeeze his hand and listen to the story. By the time Emmett was done, I would usually he laughing pretty hard since it was nearly impossible to keep a straight face during the story. I even notice Rosalie break into a smile a few times, but when Emmett tried to tell a story about her, she would smack him on the back of his head.

The next morning, I woke up to Alice pulling out a dress for me and telling one of the servants what needed to go into a suitcase. When I questioned Alice about it, she told me Edward would explain. I knitted my eyebrows in confusion, but nodded and just got ready for the day. Dara had yet to come downstairs when I arrived in the parlor, but before I could find a seat, Edward was up and escorting me back into the hall.

"I'm guessing this is about the suitcases Alice was having packed for me this morning?" I asked.

"It is." Edward nodded.

"I'm going home." I whispered.

"I know I can't keep you here forever. Your father will want to see you again soon and I'm sure if you do not return then the rumors will start to fly about your honor."

"Edward, I don't care what the town says. Dara always told me it never mattered, but until I met you, I didn't believe her. She's right though. What they think doesn't matter, it's just about what you and I think, and possibly our families. We know the truth, our families and friends know the truth, so I don't care what people on Forks are saying."

"I still don't want to keep you away from your father."

"But you said we would still have a bit longer after Dara left." I said.

"I know, but… if you go home now, the sooner other things can start."

"What other things?" I asked.

"I don't want to keep you away and then suddenly ask your father for your hand." Edward said.

"You… you already want to ask my father if you can marry me?"

"I do. Bella, I love you and while I won't change you into a vampire, I want you by my side as long as that is."

"Hopefully forever." I said. Edward glared at me and I sighed. "I understand and… I love you too." I said.

"Thank you for understanding." Edward said, pulling me into him and kissing the top of my head.

"Will you be staying with me at least?" Bella asked.

"I will stay with you for a few days, but…"

"There's always a but." I sighed.

"But I will return home with out you for a week or two. Then I'll be back and we'll see what happens." Edward said.

"Where's Alice when we need her?"

"And why do we need Alice?"

"So she can tell when you'll be back and if what will happen when you do."

"It wouldn't matter, Edward hasn't made any decisions yet." Alice said as she walked over. "Dara's about to wake up and breakfast will be ready soon. We should be getting back to the parlor."

"You have the worst timing, sister." Edward muttered.

"Well it's not like you will have more time together." Alice replied. She took my arm and walked me back to the parlor, Edward only a few steps behind us.

We hadn't been there long when Dara arrived down stairs. She looked around quickly before finding her spot by James. She would look over at me every once and a while and I would give her a small smile, but with the knowledge we were both leaving, it wasn't even a slightly happy smile. I noticed out of the corner of my eye that Edward and a few of the other Cullens looked almost happy, but every time I looked up at Edward, the smile would drop.

"So… breakfast will be ready in two and a half minutes and Marcel is going to have it served outside. It's going to be overcast for the most part so we have nothing to worry about." Alice said, finally breaking the silence.

"We could just eat in here…" I started, but Alice quickly cut me off.

"Don't even try, Bella. I'd figured you've been here long enough to know what I say is pretty much going to happen." Alice smiled. "Now come on or Marcel is going to serve breakfast to an empty table."

Everyone got up and followed Alice out to an empty table on the patio. Of course it wasn't empty long and Marcel's delicious food was placed in front of Dara and I. Esme smiled and thanked the servant's who brought us the food while Dara and I started to eat. After Dara and I were done, the time for goodbye had come. Both my bags as well as Dara's were by the door. A servant was already loading Dara's bags into a buggy while another was loading mine into a carriage.

"Have you decided when we're coming back?" Bella asked Edward.

"That part is still undecided." Edward said.

"Yes, it would be great if you decide soon. I keep seeing the future change and I'm getting a headache." Alice whined. Jasper just tightened his arms around her and kissed her head and apparently, all mental pain was forgotten,

"I'll send my letter here and then I'm sure Alice can get it to you in Forks." Dara said, turning my attention away from Alice.

"O of course, that's not that hard, but this means we can also go to Blythe! O! Shopping trip!" Alice clapped happily. Jasper and Edward were rolling their eyes at Alice's idea, but neither of them were frowning.

"Dara, we should get going." James said sternly. "I wouldn't want to waste anymore of the Cullen's precious time."

"Alright." Dara said. She nodded quickly to James before turning back to me. "I'll be talking to you soon."

"I'll miss you." I said. I gave Dara one last hug.

"I'll miss you too." Dara said before breaking apart. She thanked the rest of the Cullens for their hospitality before letting James help her onto his horse.

"Hopefully, you won't be calling on us anytime soon." James said.

"While the feeling is mutual, I don't think we can avoid each other much longer." Carlisle said. "We'll keep you updated on the wolves."

"Please do." Laurent replied. I have a feeling that James wanted to reply otherwise, but Laurent made sure to keep the parting as amicable as possible. Then just like that, they were specks on the horizon and finally gone.

"And now it's your turn to go." Rosalie said, flicking a speck from under her nails towards the carriage.

"Rosalie." Edward growled. She just rolled her eyes and shrugged before walking into the house.

"See ya later, Jelly Belly." Emmett said. He gave me a big hug before taking off to find his wife.

"Bye Bella, I'll see you soon." Alice said. She gave me a quick hug before returning to Jasper's side. Jasper just nodded before letting Alice lead him inside.

"It was nice meeting you Bella." Esme said. Like Alice, she gave a quick hug before returning to Carlisle's side.

"I hope we'll be seeing you soon." Carlisle said with a smile.

"Hopefully." I whispered.

"Edward, we'll see whenever you get back?" Carlisle said. Edward nodded, but remained silent next to me. Finally, Carlisle and Esme returned inside their home, leaving Edward and I.

"Are you ready?" Edward asked.

"I don't think I'll ever be ready to go back." I replied.

"You must miss your father and your life back there." Edward said.

"I miss my Dad, but my life really wasn't much. It mostly revolved around the Inn, but I don't really have to worry about that much anymore." I replied.

"You can take control of it again." Edward suggested.

"You're starting to sound as though you don't want me to come back." I said. Edward shrugged, and looked at the ground. "What did I do wrong? Why don't you want me coming back? I… I can change, I swear."

"It's not that. I just… I don't want something to happen to you. What if the wolves come back? What if they find you unprotected?"

"And I will be unprotected if you leave me in Forks." I said, crossing my arms over my chest.

"But then you'll have a normal life."

"I don't want my life to be normal anymore. I thought I did, but not anymore, not if a normal life doesn't include you."

Edward sighed and looked down at his feet before looking back at me. "I'm not going to be able to convince you otherwise am I?"

"Not even if you left." I replied.

"I'll still have to leave you in Forks for a bit, but I'll be back as quick as I can."

"I still don't see why you have to leave at all." I complained. Edward smiled slightly and helped into the carriage before replying.

"There are things I need to take care of, it's as simple as that." Edward said.

"If it were really that simple, then I could come with you." I countered.

"Not with these issues, but I promise you, I'll be back as soon as possible." Edward whispered to me. He closed the door to the carriage and found his own horse. Signaling to the driver, we were off. Really, I would much rather be riding like Dara, with Edward and not just next to him. Still, I'll take what I can get since it seems Edward's constantly going to be holding back on me.

It took us a day and half to get back to Forks even though we traveled straight through the night. I slept for part of it, but other than that I stared outside watching the landscape go by. There really is nothing to do while riding in the carriage. I should have borrowed a book from Edward's massive library so I had something to distract me, but of course I thought of it after I had left. Occasionally Edward would pull his horseback and check up on me, but there was little conversation between us. He would just smile, and I would return it. Then he would look up, presumably to the driver, and move back up to the front.

When we finally made it back to Forks, the sun was just starting to set over the trees and most of the people were already at the Inn. I could hear the cheering and what not coming from inside my old home, but my focus was spending these last few private minutes with Edward and then seeing my father. Edward was still ever the gentleman and dismounted his horse before helping me out. I just stood still for a bit and took in the sights of my old hometown. I hadn't realized how much things couldn't change. Everything was exactly the same and I found myself dreading the time I was going to be spending her again.

"Are you ok?" Edward asked.

"Hm? O yes, I'm just… waking my muscles up."

"Of course. I should have stopped and allowed you time to move around." Edward said, berating himself.

"Edward, it's fine. We're herein one piece, you should be happy." I said, taking hold of his hand.

"Of course." Edward smiled. Edward started to pull me into a hug when the door to my childhood home bust open. Edward immediately took a gentlemanly step back.

'Bella, it's good to have you home." Charlie said as he came over. He wrapped me in a hug, which was highly unusual for Charlie. He then reached over and grasped Edward's hand, shaking it. "Thank you for bringing her back in one piece."

"Why do you say that?" I asked. "Edward's a gentleman, of course I'd be fine."

"Wolves have continued to be seen and these two travelers continue to hang around town. They don't talk much and they always just walk off at night. Needless to say, people don't trust those fellows." Charlie explained. I looked up at Edward, but he was frowning and looking at Charlie.

"Well, Edward and his family took good care of me. It looks like someone was taking good care of you too. Is the food at the inn that good now?"

"Um… well…" Charlie kicked some pebbles around and refused to look me in the eyes.

"Father…" I pried.

"Sue, I mean Miss Clearwater, has been cooking dinners for me." Charlie finally confessed. A smile immediately spread on my face. I knew sue well Her husband had died a few winters earlier and they had never had any children. The Clearwater's always helped raise the town's children; giving the parents much needed rest.

"Is she here now?" I asked.

"Actually…" Charlie said.

"Isabella, it's so good to see you again!" Sue said as she rushed out of the house.

"Hello, again Sue." I said. Sue came over and kissed my cheeks before stepping back next to Charlie.

"Sue, you remember Edward." Charlie said.

"Of course." Sue said. "It's nice to see you again."

"The pleasure is mine." Edward said.

"Why don't you all come in? I have some chili heating up on the stove right now. It should almost be done." Sue said.

"I should go check into the inn." Edward said.

"Nonsense boy. You can stay here. We have an extra room you can use." Charlie said. "It might not be as comfortable as what you are used to, but there's a good bed in there."

"Thank you sir, but won't it strike a controversy for me to be staying within the same home as Bella."

"She just did it for the past few weeks, so if it was going to, it already would have. Anyway, most of these people don't know what they're talking about. They're trying to be like Blythe and they're forgetting we're just a small town." Charlie said.

Sue and Charlie led us back into the house. As soon as their backs were turned, I grabbed Edward's hand and squeezed it as we walked into the house. Charlie eyed our joined hands as we walked in, but said nothing of it. He took his place at the table as Sue started to fill the bowls.

"I don't need anything, I already ate." Edward said before Sue could fill him a bowl.

"Are you sure?" Sue asked. "It was a long journey."

"Quite sure." Edward said.

"You really should try some, my boy." Charlie said. "Sue's cooking is just as good as Bella's."

"You're only saying that because I'm home." I said.

"I can't choose between the two of you." Charlie shrugged.

"Anyway, Edward's on a special diet so he really did eat right before getting here." I said, convincing Sue and Charlie that Edward really didn't need anything to eat.

"Alright then, Bella you still want some?"

"Of course. I have to taste what my rival has to offer." I joked. Sue laughed and placed a bowl in front of Charlie and me before getting her own and sitting down. "This really is quite good Sue."

"Thank you."

"No wonder Charlie's gained a few pounds. I'm sure he's been sitting behind his desk doing nothing and you've been feeding him all this."

"Guilty." Charlie mumbled between bites.

The rest of the dinner continued on in pleasant conversation. Sue and Charlie filled me in on the local gossip, which wasn't much, but what there was was interesting. Apparently, the harpies were trying to entice the travelers to talk every night and every night they ignored her. One man apparently asked for me at one point and Jessica almost slapped him. Victoria pulled her away before she could, but they hadn't talked to that man again.

"I didn't think you knew those men, Bella." Charlie said.

"I don't. They came into the inn before I left with Edward and I talked to one, but it was only once. I'm surprised he asked for me."

"You're the only person he talked to so you must have made quite an impression on him." Charlie said.

"Well it doesn't matter, are you done?" I asked Charlie, picking up his empty bowl. Sue handed me hers and I took them into the small kitchen. Edward came in shortly after and leaned against the counter, but didn't say anything.

"Good night Bella." Sue called from the doorway.

"Good night Sue." I called back. I heard her and Charlie mumbling and while curiosity pulled me to watch I just kept washing the dishes.

"I'm going to sleep soon." Charlie said as he walked back in. "Edward, why don't I get you set up in that extra room."

"That would be great, sir." Edward said. He walked by me and disappeared deeper in the house with Charlie.

It only took a few minutes before I heard Charlie's heavy footsteps coming back. "Edward's set up in the extra room. I know he's courting you and all, but I expect you to remember some of society's more important rules…"

"Of course, dad." I replied. "I'm sure Edward's already asleep. Sue was right, it was a hard journey back here."

"You're right." Charlie breathed. "Alright, well get to bed yourself. I don't want to come out here tomorrow morning to find you asleep on the kitchen floor."

"I'm done, I'll walk back with you." I said. The answer seemed to satisfy Charlie the most and he nodded. Of course it only took a handful of steps to get to my room so I said a quick goodnight to Charlie and slipped into my room. I took my time finding a heavier shift and settling into bed.

I had just gotten under the covers when my door opened slightly and then closed again. If I hadn't already been looking in that direction I would have completely missed the action. Next thing I knew, Edward was sitting on my bed, staring out my window, saying nothing.

"Edward." I whispered…

"Sh…" Edward replied quietly. I frowned and waited for him to do something, anything, but it took a few minutes till he relaxed. "I had to wait for Charlie to fall asleep."

"Ya, I guess that would be a good thing…" I replied.

"I shouldn't even be in here right now. Not with you dressed as you are, not with your father down the hall…"

"I'm sure you can find a million reasons why you shouldn't be in here, but you are." I replied. "Are you going to stay?"

"For as long as I can." Edward nodded. "Bella, I'm going to have to leave tomorrow. I have to tell Carlisle the wolves are here."

"But you said a few days!" I exclaimed. Edward looked at me sharply since I had raised my voice and he remained quiet till he was sure Charlie hadn't woken up.

"I know what I said, but with the wolves hovering here, I need to get back to Carlisle. I'll be back sooner though. I don't want to leave you here with those mutts longer than necessary."

"How soon?" I asked.

"I don't know. Mutts always tend to complicate things. I'll have Alice check in on you as often as possible. I'll be here before anymore danger can find you."

"You promise?" I asked.

"Of course." Edward replied.

"Will you be informing James?" Bella asked.

"A message will most likely be sent, but no direct communication." Edward said.

"If I were to write a letter to Dara, could you send it with your update?"

"Of course." Edward nodded.

"I'll write it first thing in the morning, then." I resigned. Edward nodded as he slid one of his hands over mine.

"While I'm gone, please don't talk to either of the wolves."

"I'll try not to."

"Bella…"

"What would you have me do if they ask me a question? It's rude not to answer someone, especially a traveler who's considered a guest."

"They aren't considered guests, nor should they be." Edward growled. "Ignore them as much as possible. Stay here as much as possible."

"I'm not one to stay cocooned in my home." I said.

"I know… I knew it was no use asking you. Just be careful. I don't want Alice screaming that something's going to happen."

"I'll make sure to try and not let that happen." I said.

"Thank you." Edward said.

"Sit next to me?" I asked. Edward nodded and moved up so they he was sitting next to where I was lying. I settled deeper in the bed and placed my hand and head on his chest before closing my eyes. His hands were slow to wrap around me, but eventually he was surrounding me in his presence and I felt warm, even though his body was so cold…


	15. Home in Forks Again

**A/N**- So if you guys haven't noticed, chapter 14 has also been updated. Since I just replaced a chapter, fanfiction decided not to send out an email. So, I decided to update twice. You guys deserve it for being so patient! Concerning this chapter, there is a cliffy and I know, you'll hate me, but I will try to update ch. 16 as soon as I can… I just don't know when that will be.

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_Dear Dara_

_How did we get so lucky? Well, I hope you're still feeling that way with James. You two seem perfect for each other. Neither of you willing to bend to society's views or let anyone else tell you anything. Like I said, perfect for each other._

_Edward is planning to leave soon. He was originally planning to stay a few more days in Forks before leaving, but Charlie informed us that the wolves are still hanging around town and so Edward doesn't trust them and is dashing back to talk to his father. This letter is probably being sent with a letter to James about the wolves. On top of the wolves patrolling the area, two of them are coming in. One is even asking for me! Apparently he asked Jessica if I was here after I had left with Edward and she was about to slap him. If only we had been there to see it… _

_I really wish that Edward didn't have to leave, but there really is no stopping him when he gets his mind to it. But I do have good news, my friend! Edward plans on asking my father for my hand! It's part of the reason we came back so early. I couldn't believe someone like Edward could be interested in me and definitely not want to marry me! Either way, I shall not deter him in his decision on this one. I do love him Dara, and this way I get my love and my best friend! He still refuses to change me into a vampire, but who knows what will happen when we're married?_

_I hope things are going well and that I'll see you soon. _

_You're friend,_

_Bella_

I looked at my letter, wishing I could write more, but since I had just seen Dara, there really wasn't all that much more that I could write. I folded up the paper and tucked it into an envelope before sealing it. I sighed and set it down on my desk before getting up and getting ready for the day. I slipped into one of my simple dresses and sighed as I looked into my mirror. If Edward didn't find me boring at first, he surely would now. I threw my hair back in a ponytail, tucking a few stray strands behind my ears. Without Alice, my image really had no hope…

Slipping out of my room, I walked down to the kitchen and started to get breakfast for Charlie and me. I had barely begun to get the needed things together when Edward joined me. He slipped next to me and kissed my cheek chastely before backing off once more.

"Good morning, love." Edward said.

"Good morning." I replied. "Did you feed last night?"

"I did." Edward said. "I also butchered the rest of the animals for you and your father."

"You did?" I asked.

"The pieces are in the back barn." Edward explained.

"Charlie's going to know that you did way too much for just waking up too early. I mean, you would have had to hunt down the deer, skin it, and then butcher it."

"I was restless." Edward shrugged. "Anyway, I'm sure he'll he look beyond that."

"You don't play fair." I pouted.

"How do I not play fair?" Edward laughed.

"You dazzle people to get your way. There's no way people can turn you down." I sighed.

"Does that include you? Do I dazzle you?"

"More often than you think." I replied, looking at him from over my shoulder. "So, why are you being such a suck up to my father?"

"What do you mean?"

"Calling him sir, offering to stay in the inn, slaughtering your meal…"

"I know the rules of society, Bella. I did grow up with some of the same rules, actually quite a bit more. Calling seniors sir, especially fathers of a loved one, is how I grew up. Staying at the inn would protect your reputation and I didn't think people would like a burning carcass in the middle of the night."

"You couldn't leave it for other animals to find?" I asked.

"Not with those wolves around here. A bloodless creature would be just what they needed to create mayhem here." Edward sighed. He kissed my forehead once more before turning down the hall and greeting my father.

"Morning." Charlie grunted.

"Morning." I replied.

"Good morning sir." Edward said.

Both men sat down at the kitchen table and stared at each other. I rolled my eyes and finished Charlie's breakfast so he could get to the sheriff's building.

"Sir, I wanted to let you know I found a deer this morning and went about butchering it for you so you and Bella could have some fresh meat for a while."

"A deer?" Charlie asked. "You butchered it?"

"Yes sir. I left the pieces in the back barn. I didn't know where you'd want them so I made sure they were stored correctly for a short time before coming in."

"How early did you get up?"

"Early. I guess I wasn't quite as tired as I originally thought I was." Edward shrugged.

"Well, thank you Edward." Charlie said, still stunned.

"Bella, would you take some of the meat to the inn and then make sure the rest is stored properly."

"Of course." I replied. I set Charlie's breakfast in front of him before sitting down to eat my own.

"So, Edward, when were you planning on leaving?"

"Probably this morning, sir. I wanted to make sure Bella made it here safely, but there's some business my father, brothers, and I must attend to back home." Edward explained.

"Of course. Thank you for taking the time to bring my Bella back to me. Should I be expecting you back soon?"

"Hopefully sir, if that's alright with you?"

"You seem to make Bella happy and that's all I want. So yes, that's fine. However, if you ever make her cry or sad in any way, I don't care how rich or influential you are, I will shoot you."

"That's completely understood sir. If I do hurt your daughter in anyway, I'd be more than happy to let you shoot me." Edward said. I rolled my eyes at his dramatics, but kept silent.

The rest of breakfast was silent and as soon as Charlie was done, he was off to work. He strapped his gun around his waist, making sure Edward could see it before saying his goodbyes and leaving. Edward only stayed until I was ready to make my way to the inn with almost half of the deer. He offered to help me take it to the inn, and while I should have agreed, I told him to leave if he had to. Sure, I might have been a bit cold, but it was the only way I wasn't going to run after him.

"You know I don't want to leave, right Bella?"

"Yes, I know." I sighed.

"I'll be back before you know it." Edward said, kissing my forehead.

"Send my letter to Dara?"

"I wouldn't forget." Edward whispered.

"One more thing, before you go." I said.

"What is that?" Edward asked.

"A real kiss? No one is here, no reputation will be destroyed." I said.

Edward was silent for a bit, but pulled me into him and brought his head down so our lips were meeting. Slowly, he added a bit more pressure, but kept his lips still. I wrapped my arms around his neck before opening my lips slightly and initiating the real kiss I was talking about. Edward only let the kiss last a few seconds before pulling back. While his face looked slightly pained from resisting his true nature, he didn't look like he was restraining himself as much as he used to.

"Thank you." I whispered before running my hands down his chest and taking a step back.

"I love you." Edward said.

"I love you too." I replied. Edward turned to face the forest, but I stopped him when I realized he was about to run back. "Edward, what about your horse? And the carriage?"

"I told the driver to rest and then head home when he was ready. I believe he left a few hours earlier because he wanted to see his family."

"And your horse?"

"That's my little secret…" Edward grinned.

"Edward…" I pried.

"Alice came and took the horse last night when she saw the change of events. You were already asleep so she didn't want to come in and disturb you." Edward explained.

"O… wow. You guys are really organized." I said.

"That we are." Edward agreed. "I will be back as soon as I can and Alice will be watching out for your future. Trust me, I will be here before any threat to you realizes that are a threat."

"You think the werewolves are going to try something?"

"I don't know what to expect from them. I don't trust them either way, especially since the one was asking for you."

"It was probably Jacob, but I promise I won't get in trouble as long as you promise you'll be back soon."

"I promise." Edward said. With his promise promised, Edward kissed my forehead one more time before darting off into the forest. I could feel his lips on my temple far longer than I could actually see him.

After Edward left, I returned into my father's house and started getting the meat ready to be either cooked or stored. Sue eventually came over to help, which allowed me to make a trip to the Inn with the extra meat. Malory and Chef were already there, getting ready for the next evening. Of course, some of the older gentlemen of the town were also there, keeping them company and drinking some beer slowly.

"Bella, it's so nice to see you!" Malory said.

"It's good to see you too, Malory." I replied. Malory came over and gave me a hug before taking some of the meat from me. "Chef, I have something for you."

"Where'd you get all this meat?" Chef asked.

"Edward was restless and went hunting before he left this morning." I explained.

"Well, thank that young man of yours." Chef said.

"Come on Bella, let's sit down. You have to tell me how your time with the Cullens was!" Malory said. She led me over to one of the tables so we could sit down. Chef brought us some drinks and fresh bread before returning to the kitchen. "So?"

"Well, the whole family is very nice. His sister was really the nicest and was always picking out what I should wear and what not. Uh, his brother tends to be like a big bear, but he likes to joke around and have fun as well." I said. "His brother-in-law was quiet and didn't say much. He just stood by his wife for the most part. Edward's sister-in-law was a bit tougher to talk to and I usually ended up talking to her husband instead."

"And his parents?"

"Some of the nicest people I'd ever met. They quickly brought me into the family and for the most part I felt as though I was already one of them. Rosalie made sure that I remembered where I came from, but the rest of the family was very inviting."

"And their home? What did it look like?"

"It was like any other manor… I think. I mean, it was huge with plenty of parlors, bed rooms, bathrooms, etc… They had an amazing library and I did spend some time in there."

"Of course you would. You would be with who seems to be the only prince around and you decide to read."

"Thanks Malory." I laughed.

"Well my dear, it sounds as though you had a wonderful time." Malory said. "Will you be staying here or is Prince Charming coming back?"

"He'll be back in a week or two probably." I answered.

"Well then, it's good to have you back while we have you. Are you and Charlie coming for dinner tonight?"

"Probably not for dinner, but I'm sure we'll stop by." I replied.

"Well good. I'll see you tonight then." Malory said. She got up and went to refill the old men's beers while I gave chef our empty classes and a half empty bowl of bread.

oOoOoOo

Charlie escorted Sue and I to the Inn that night. Apparently it was the first time both of them would be going out together. I'm sure most people figured out what was going on, but no one had said anything yet. As soon as we walked in, we were flooded by greetings. A few of the older women came up to Sue with large smiles and told her how happy they were for her and Charlie. A few people said hello to me and asked how my trip was and where Edward was, but I would also answer with one word answers and just keep moving through.

"Hello Bella." Mike said as I tried to pass him.

"Mike." I acknowledged.

"How was your trip?"

"It was very nice."

"That's good. So, Edward didn't stick around long it seems." Mike said.

"Some things came up and he needed to return home for a bit. He'll be back in a few weeks." I explained.

"I'm sure he will be, but not for you." A voice said from behind me, Tanya.

"Tanya."

"You know he realized how plain and boring you were." Tanya continued. "He's gone home to ask his parents if they'd be mad if he forgot about you and came to see me. I'm sure the senior Mr. Cullen will be more than happy that Edward has decided to move on to someone more suited for his status in life."

"Really? That would be you? You've never even met Mr. Cullen or his wife or the rest of Edward's family. Anyway, his return home was already planned and he already told me why, not that you need to know or anything. Now if you'll excuse me, there are more important people here that I need to speak to."

"Already spoken like an upper class snob." Tanya sneered.

"It's better than a wanna-be upper class bitch." I replied quietly.

I quickly turned from Tanya and moved to begin walking elsewhere in the Inn. I noticed Mike's face and those of a few people around us that were astonished by my stand off with Tanya. Apparently coming back with a bit more of a backbone surprises people. They never expect anyone to change and after being with Dara and the Cullens, I want to change. For once in my life, I want to change and I don't see this town as being a part of that change…

"Where did you learn to stand up for yourself?" Martha asked as I passed her.

"Hm?" I asked.

"Bella, I saw your little performance over there with Tanya. Now let me tell you, none of us older, more sophisticated women like those girls. Well, Angela's ok, but still, most of them are rotten to the core. But still, you never used to be able to stand up for yourself."

"Sometimes, some people just have to change."

"Too true. I'm happy you've decided to." Martha smiled.

"Do you need anything, Martha?" I asked.

"I'm fine dear. Malory has been making sure that I'm quite happy since you've been gone. You made a good choice keeping her around."

"That's why I gave her the Inn." I said. Martha just continued to smile warmly and nod as I continued walking to the bar.

"What can I get you?" Angela asked from behind the wooden bar.

"Angela? You're working here now?"

"I asked Malory after you left and she gave me the job. I have to admit, it took me a bit of time to learn everything and remember who ordered what, but here I am."

"I'm so happy for you." I said with a smile. "Mind if I come back and join you?"

"No, of course not." Angela said.

For the rest of the night I spent time with a few of the patrons who would come up to the bar and talk while getting their drinks or placing an order with Chef. While I was gone I didn't realize that I had missed working at the Inn, but being back and starting again, it was definitely a piece of my life I forgot about, and one that I shouldn't have forgotten about. So the night went by quickly and soon I was helping Angela and Malory clean everything up. Charlie had already left with Sue to take her home so I was going to have to walk home by myself. Something Charlie was worried about, but something I didn't mind too much.

I finally said goodnight to Malory and Angela and started heading home. I was barely out of the glow of the Inn when I felt someone coming up to walk next to me. I turned around, surprised to see Jacob there. I scowled, turned on my heels, and continued walking.

"So what, now that you know the truth you won't talk to me?" Jacob asked.

"You went after Dara and you've made it so Edward had to leave earlier than expected! Plus, I promised Edward I wouldn't."

"A promise you've now broken." Jacob commented. "And your friend smelled like a leach and she's probably one now anyway. How long as she been gone?"

"She's not a vampire yet even though she wants to be. James is refusing to change her."

"How honorable, he's just keeping her around longer so he can enjoy her that much more." Jacob sneered. My mouth fell open at his comment, but I quickly snapped it shut, spun on my heel and slapped him as hard as I could. Jake's head jolted to the side and I took the time to continue walking home.

"He's just going to break your heart, it's what all of the blood suckers do."

"Really? Cause right now the only one to cause me true misery is you. You took my friend away. You've forced her to make her parents think she's dead. James protected her from when you really wanted to make sure she was dead! Leave me alone Jacob, I don't want to speak to you again." I hissed.

Two fights in one night, I really don't know how Dara did it. This whole yelling and standing up for myself is tiring, but I'm starting to see why I have to. As I continued walking I noticed that Jacob really had stopped following me in his normal human form. He had disappeared into the forest once more and I wasn't about to think he'd left me alone. I picked up enough from Edward and his family to know that the wolves don't give up that easily. No, I know Jacob and his friends are in the forest and one of them is probably watching me right now. Fine, they can watch me walk back to my house. I'm not changing my mind or one whose side I decide to be on. I love Edward and no wolf is going to change that…

oOoOoOoOo

For the rest of the week I started making myself useful at the Inn. I helped every night at the bar and taking people's orders while also going in early to get everything ready. Still, whenever those few minutes arose that I wasn't helping somebody, I was looking at the door hoping tonight would be the night Edward would be coming back.

Jake had been showing up every now and then and it was only pissing me off more and more. He learned not to try to talk to me, in fact he was starting to talk to the harpies, but he would just stare. In all honesty, that's what creeped me out the most. The harpies were loving the attention however and were trying to rub it in my face. I tried to explain to them that I'm not going to get jealous, just disgusted, but they weren't going to listen to me.

Still, tonight was like the last few. The harpies with Jake, Mike and his friends all laughing in a corner, most of the town here, but that was it. I was filling a beer when the doors were thrown open and everyone suddenly quieted down. Expecting to see James, or even one of the Cullens, I was surprised to see Victoria's parents. Her mother look terrified and her father was scanning the crowd. I looked over at the harpies and noticed that Victoria wasn't there. Her father stormed over to the group and looked down at Jacob, ignoring the other two wolves in human form.

"Where is she?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Where's my daughter? Where's my Victoria?"

"Why would I know?" Jacob asked.

"The girls have been with you every night and sometimes during the day. Victoria said she was going to walk along the forest line today and she never came home. You three keep disappearing in there, so where have you taken her? Did you take Dara too? She disappeared around the same time you showed up!"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Jake growled. He stood up, his two brothers standing with him. "Did you think the Cullens might have done it? Edward Cullen's only been gone a few days, he could have come back without anyone noticing."

"Edward brought Bella back in one piece and people know of the Cullens. They're trust worthy people. We know nothing about you…"

"You can trust me when I tell you I don't know what happened to your daughter, but I don't appreciate being told I've kidnapped and possibly murdered two women." Jacob growled. He threw some money for his drink on the table before pushing by Victoria's father and storming out.

I really didn't know what to think or who to go ask questions. I knew it wasn't any of the Cullens since they only drank animal blood, but Jasper was still new… On top of it I didn't know where James or Laurent were since Dara didn't know much about what they were doing. Plus, the wolves very well could be to blame. From everything Edward had told me and the comments I had picked up on, they were the ones I that needed to be feared, not the vampires.


	16. A New Engagement

**A/N**- Alrighty so, while it has been winter break from school, I've still been busy with my everyday life. Also, I've been able to find other things to do other than write the story. It's not writer's block it's just boredom with it since, well partially due to the fact of the barely there to non existent reviews. To those reading this story, I thank you. To those who have reviewed and will hopefully review again I thank you more. As you can see, this story is no longer anywhere near one of my higher priorities so don't expect regular updates. I will finish the story, I'm just not sure when...

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Whispers instantly started to rise as soon as Victoria's disappearance was well known through the town. At first everyone looked to the forest and wild animals, but soon people were starting to question others, mainly Jacob and his friends. People were commenting how Dara had disappeared after the travelers had arrived and they were still around when Victoria disappeared. It wasn't for a day with the spot light on Jake that a new target was presented… Edward. I knew Jake had started the rumor, but people instantly clung to it. The first morning, a few were staring, but it wasn't till Malory said something that afternoon that I found out the change.

"Bella, you know what they're saying right?" Malory asked.

"That Jake and his friends did it?" I said.

"No, they're starting to say that Edward did it. That he disappeared right before each disappearance and they think you could be part of it."

"What? How… who? Why would I want Dara gone?"

"They said you felt threatened…" Malory shrugged. "Look, I know it's not true. Dara was your sister and we all know that you wouldn't do anything, it's just with Victoria gone…"

"It was the harpies? Wasn't it?" I asked.

"No one knows. I think it was Jake, he was always jealous of Edward." Malory shrugged.

"Who knows…" I sighed.

"Just get ready for service tonight, you know it's going to be tough." Malory said. She patted my shoulder and left to go get everything else ready. I knew she was right and started to prepare myself from the onslaughts, mainly those coming from the harpies and Victoria's parents.

The regulars started to trickle in first, slowly taking their usual spots. Some eyed me nervously, but everyone kept to the routine. Luckily, I knew what all the old men ordered so I just poured them there drinks before walking off. Eventually the other patrons came in and the inn became crowded. The crowd wasn't as loud as usual and I could feel all of their eyes on my back. I just kept it straight and kept my head held high, which I knew Dara would tell me to do if she were here. Then, the harpies came in along with Victoria's parents and they were on the hunt…

"You!" Victoria's mother screamed, pointing a finger at me. The inn was instantly quiet as everyone turned to watch the confrontation. "You had my daughter taken!"

"What?" I said.

"You… you had her taken! She was a threat to you and you had her taken!"

"I don't know what you're talking about." I said.

"She was more beautiful than you and she was smarter. She had the attention of all the young men in Forks and she was going to get the attention of Edward Cullen. You knew it too so you had her… disposed of!"

"Mrs. Silvering…"

"No! You will listen to me, you all will listen to me! This ungrateful brat had my daughter taken and I want her back!" Victoria's mother yelled. Suddenly, Mrs. Silvering was in front of me, she slapped me first before grabbing on to me and shaking me violently. I closed and my eyes and gripped her wrists, but I couldn't get her to stop. Finally, it came to a stop and I had to take a few seconds before opening my eyes so the world would stop shaking.

"Mrs. Silvering, attacking my love is truly uncalled for." Edward, Edward had come back early and just in time. I looked up at him and let out a sigh of relief. He had one of Victoria's mother's hands in his own gloved hand and her other one had fallen off of my shoulder. I could feel the side of my cheek where she had slapped me burning slightly, but I nearly forgot about it as I unconsciously moved in closer to Edward's side. "Now, I do not know who even believed Bella could be the one who plotted for your daughter's kidnapping, but I can assure you, they are wrong. From what I've seen here and when Bella came to meet my family, she is one of the nicest people in this town, one who has been taken advantage for far too long."

"Love?" Lauren asked.

"Yes, which is also why I do not understand how any of you could think that I would be leaving Bella for any of you." Edward glared at Lauren and Jessica who sunk back a bit.

"You would have if you had met my daughter!" Mrs. Sterling cried.

"I did meet your daughter and her heart was black compared to Bella's. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to talk to Bella and her father, alone." Edward growled. He threw Mrs. Sterling's hand down before carefully taking my own in his hand. He didn't look at anyone else as he escorted me out of the room. "I should have been here sooner."

"What are you talking about?" I asked. "There's no way you could have… Alice."

"I couldn't leave right when I said I was… I remained in the forest, keeping an eye on you, and more importantly the dogs. When I finally did get home Alice had already had a vision of Victoria's mother accusing you, but she was also having one of Dara."

"Dara? What happened to Dara?" I asked, stopping our walk.

"She ran away from James and apparently the dogs found her. Alice was sending Carlisle, Emmett, and Jasper out when I got home. As soon as she saw that I was home she sent me back here. I ran as fast as I could…"

"Edward, don't blame yourself, please." I said. "You got here as fast as you could and no serious damage was done."

"No, but she was thinking of doing more. She didn't care if the whole town was at the Inn, Bella, she was ready to kill you." Edward said. He cupped my good cheek and I leaned into his hand a bit.

"An eye for an eye?" I whispered.

"Exactly." Edward sighed. He continued our walk to my father's home since Charlie should have been done with work for the night. "It looks like Mr. Sterling is here."

"He's inside?" I asked. Edward nodded and walked ahead of me just a bit.

"Arrest her!" I heard Mr. Sterling yelling.

"Bella's been here or at the Inn since she's been home. There is no proof that she did this." I heard Charlie argue.

"Stop being biased, Charlie. We've all known our daughters have not been friends since they were younger. Bella had my daughter kidnapped and possibly killed!"

"Edward, I didn't realize you were coming back so soon." Charlie said when he saw us walk in.

"I wasn't planning on it, but I had a bad feeling and so returned. Luckily I did in the knick of time."

"What do you mean?" Charlie asked. Edward pulled me in front of him slightly, showing of my cheek.

"Bella, who did that?"

"Mrs. Sterling." I whispered.

"She was also shaking Bella violently when I arrived."

"You lie!" Mr. Sterling hissed.

"Really?" Edward asked. "Go ask anyone who's at the inn right now… which I believe is most of the town."

"Robert, it looks as though you have bigger issues than blaming my daughter for Victoria's disappearance. She was in the forest after all and we don't know if the new travelers were involved or if it was a wild animal. Look at Dara's parents, they handled everything with dignity, try scraping what you have left and don't tarnish your daughter's memory." Charlie said.

"What if it was him? What if it was Edward?" Mr. Sterling asked, pointing to Edward.

"If you need my alibi, I can retrieve my carriage driver from Blythe if you'd like?" Edward asked.

"That won't be necessary Edward." Charlie said. "Anyway, Mr. Sterling was just leaving."

Victoria's father looked at all of us before storming out of the house. He slammed the door on his way out, making some of the wall ornaments to shake.

"This town has gone crazy, I swear." Charlie muttered, taking a seat at his chair.

"Sir, I have another reason for being her." Edward said. Charlie looked up at him, ready to hear whatever it was. "Bella, could I speak to your father for a minute?"

I nodded and walked outside while Edward spoke to Charlie. I sat on the porch chair and waited for the two men to finish. A few people walked by and looked at me with questioning eyes, but no one said anything. Finally Edward came back out with a big goofy smile replacing his usual crooked one. I looked at him curiously, but he just took my hand and led me inside. Inside, Charlie was sitting at the kitchen table, taping his fingers on the wood.

"Edward, could you give us a few minutes?"

"Of course sir." Edward bowed his head, kissed me on the cheek, then left to give us the privacy Charlie had requested. "You love him?"

"With all my heart." I replied.

"You trust him?"

"With my life." I nodded. Thank god Charlie didn't know about Edward's true nature or that question would be out the window.

"You know what he asked me?"

"I have a feeling…"

"He asked for your hand."

"And you said?"

"I told him yes. Any fool would be blind if they said there was nothing between the two of you." Charlie sighed. "And fools are exactly what the Sterling are."

"Why did you ask to talk if you had already agreed?"

"You're my baby girl, I wanted to make sure you truly wanted this."

"I do, Dad, I do."

"Good. Well, you have to do one more thing for me then."

"What's that?"

"I don't care if you have a wedding at his father's home, but I want you to have one here. I want to rub the fact my baby girl is marrying a Cullen into everyone's face. Too many people here need to be taken down a peg or two."

"Alright, I'll make sure Alice knows." I laughed.

"You already have a wedding planner?"

"Alice his sister." I said.

"Ah, right. Well, don't you have a fiancé to go see?"

"Thanks Dad." I got up from the table and kissed Charlie's head quickly before running out the door. Edward was standing off to the side a bit. His face was stone cold and little emotion came through the mask. When he looked up and saw me, that changed. He smiled and stood up, taking my hand within his.

"So…"

Before Edward could finish I launched myself into his arms and planted my lips on his. He was surprised for all of a second before his arms gripped my waist and his kiss became deeper.

"Bella, don't you know anything about being civilized? You don't kiss men you aren't married to, or at least engaged to." Lauren's nasally voice interrupted us.

"Well, it's a good thing we're engaged then." I replied with a smile.

"Really? I don't see a ring. Nothing is official until there's a ring."

"You mean this one?" Edward asked, producing a velvet box. I gasped and Lauren and the other harpies' mouths fell open. Edward bent down on one knee and smiled up at me. "Bella Swan, will do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

"Yes." I breathed. Edward grinned, took the ring out of the box and slid it onto my finger.

"Thank you for being our witnesses." Edward said after he had stood back up.

"You didn't ask her father for his permission!" Jessica hissed.

"Actually he did." Charlie said from the door. "Don't you girls have some place to be, or rather, some place not to be."

They stared for a bit longer before scurrying off. I knew by morning everyone would know we were engaged, and for once I didn't mind being the center of gossip.

"Mr. Swan, I'm sorry to ask this of you, but may I steal Bella away for a bit? I want to take her home with me to tell my parents she accepted."

"Of course son. Just remember our agreement."

"I wouldn't forget, sir. Alice will have twice as much fun now that she gets to arrange two weddings." Edward grinned.

"When are you planning on leaving?"

"As soon as the carriage gets here, which should be within the hour."

"What would you have done if I had said no?" Charlie asked.

"Well, I would be returning with an empty carriage." Edward grinned.

"Right, well Bella, shouldn't you be packing?"

"Actually, Alice filled my closet in the room I used and I'm sure the dresses are still there." I replied.

"Of course she did." Charlie muttered.

"I'm going to go back to the inn and tell Malory and Chef."

"Come back before you leave."

"We will." I said.

So Edward and I walked over to the inn, hand in hand like any other engaged couple. People were already starting to whisper and I knew the rumors had already begun circulating. When we walked into the inn, Malory squealed with delight and ran over to give me a hug. Apparently the news had already reached her. Chef came out shortly after and congratulated us. Malory said she'd take over the inn like we had already planned and that I shouldn't worry about anything. I just had to promise that I'd come back to visit. We agreed that the reception for the wedding in Forks would be held in the inn. Malory started planning everything, but luckily Edward saved me saying the carriage was almost here. A few other people came up and gave us their congratulations, but they were a lot quicker than Malory's. Some of the people even shook Edward's hands, even though they were still hesitant to do so. When we got back to my house, Charlie was standing at the door and the carriage was right out in front. Edward and I said our goodbyes before walking over to the carriage. Edward helped me in before getting in with me as well.

"You decided not to worry about getting a horse?"

"I figured this would be a lot more comfortable and enjoyable." Edward grinned.

"Works for me." I replied, mirroring his smile. "Thanks for rescuing me again."

"You know I wouldn't be able to live with myself if something happened to you, especially if it was my causing."

"You didn't cause that. That was just people being stupid and looking for anyone to blame." I sighed. "Should I be worried about Dara?"

"I don't know, I didn't ask." Edward sighed.

"Maybe we'll go for a walk when I get there."

"Whatever you do, just be careful. I'll try to be close to you or have someone else close. With Victoria being a newborn and I'm sure James is unstable with everything, I don't want to risk anything."

"I'm sure we'll be fine." I said. I smiled up at Edward and patted his knee. I curled up into his side and closed my eyes. It had been a long and an eventful night and everything was suddenly creeping up on me.

oOoOoOo

"Bella!" Alice yelled as I got out of the carriage. Before I could register anything the smaller vampire had wrapped her arms around me in a hug.

"Hi Alice."

"I'm so happy you're going to be a Cullen! We'll be official sisters then!"

"Alice, calm down." Edward sighed.

"Whatever. So, we need to start planning the weddings. We'll be going shopping tomorrow, or maybe the next day. Either way, we're going shopping. Anyway, what I think we should do for the one in Forks is…"

"Alice, I know you want to start planning everything, but I'm worried about Dara. Could I see her first and then we'll talk about everything?"

"Yes, of course." Alice said. "She's back in the room she was originally. Edward, why don't you go with her?"

Edward nodded and took my arm, leading me past his family. I could hear Rosalie shouting about James and what he'd done and quite honestly, it scared me. We shared a few quick hellos, before Edward and I made our way upstairs. When we got to Dara's room I knocked quietly, but when I didn't get an answer I stuck my head in. She was asleep under all the covers I'm sure Alice had draped over her. I walked over to her bed and sat down on the edge, careful not to disturb her.

"She looks so small." I sighed. "She doesn't look like the same Dara."

"She's had her heart broken, she just needs time to recover, love." Edward sighed. He walked over to the window, staring out into the forest.

"When did Alice say that James was coming?"

"Soon, probably by the end of the day."

"Maybe I'll sneak Dara out for a walk when they arrive, that way she won't have to deal with him."

"That sounds like a good plan." Edward said. He moved over to one of the chairs and sat down. We were both silent, waiting for Dara to wake up.

"Bella, what are you doing here?" Dara said as she stretched.

"It's good to see you awake, Alice said you were sleeping a lot." I smiled.

"It seems the only peaceful place now a days." Dara sighed. "What are you doing back here? I thought you were staying in Forks for a while."

"She was supposed to." Edward said from his chair. "When Alice told me of her vision of the wolves attacking you, I knew it wasn't safe leaving Bella in Forks where the wolves were. So, I went back to get her."

"Are you two engaged yet?"

"Why do you ask?" I grinned.

"You are, aren't you?" Dara said.

"Edward, could you give us some time?" I asked.

"Of course." Edward nodded. He walked over and kissed my head tenderly before leaving.

"So Laurent took Victoria?" I asked.

"No one's told you anything, have they?" Dara asked.

"No, not really." I sighed.

"Victoria was James' singer, but he stopped drinking from her and so she's been changed."

"She's been changed into a vampire?"

"She was changing when I left. I couldn't be around him if he had his true love."

"I see…"

"I'm surprised Edward brought you with him though, James and Victoria are supposed to be coming here." Dara said.

"O, Alice already has plans on taking me out for some time." Bella shrugged. "You should see Rosalie though. She's constantly yelling about James coming here. Apparently, she wants to rip his head off for what he's done."

"Wow…"

"Ya, she'll be your best friend now." I laughed laughed.

"You'll always be my best friend, you don't have to worry about that." Dara smiled.

"Let's go for a walk. We'll find you a simple dress and we'll get out of these stuffy walls."

"That sounds like a good plan." Dara nodded.

"I have your dresses picked out!" Alice yelled from the hall. "They're in your bathroom!"

"Of course they are." Dara muttered, rolling my eyes. I laughed and patted her leg before getting up and finding the dresses.

Walking downstairs, we found the rest of the family still gathered in the foyer. I walked over to Edward and told him we were going to walk around the lake. He nodded and said that would be perfect timing. I'm sure Alice had checked for James' arrival and had let him know. I pulled away after a quick kiss before taking Dara's hand and walking outside with her.


	17. Problematic Company

**A/N**- So yes, once more no reviews. Again, I'd love to hear what you guys are thinking about this story. It's probably going to be shortened now since the reviews aren't coming in. I'm going to finish it so I'm happy, but not going to go above and beyond. I can do that for other things… So here's the next chapter, enjoy.

* * *

Dara and I started walking to the lake through the forest. As we reached the lake we could hear yelling coming from the manor and we both knew that James had arrived. I looked back to the house, hoping to see anything, but we were too far to see anything worth noting. The house looked peaceful, except for all the noise that was coming from it. I looked at Dara and noticed how withdrawn she looked.

"So Victoria, huh?" I asked

"He couldn't have chosen a worst person." Dara mumbled.

"At least he didn't change the whole group." I suggested. I tried to find something to cheer her up.

"So tell me about the engagement!" Dara said. I noticed the quick change in subject and decided to go with it.

"We he came and saved me from Victoria's mom…" I started.

"Why would he have to save you?" Dara asked.

I launched into the story starting from the events at the Inn to going to talking to Charlie and everything he said.

"I always liked Charlie…" Dara murmured after I told her about the deal we made and why.

"Well, after I agreed I rushed back outside to see Edward. We didn't need to say anything to know the decision and Edward just happened to be kissing me when Lauren and Jessica were walking by and commented we weren't engaged. Then Edward dropped to his knee and proposed, right in front of them. They started going off on how we didn't go through the proper steps, but Charlie was right there to quiet them up. Word spread faster than we could walk and Malory knew before we could get to the inn."

"That's Forks for you. Well I'm happy you were able to throw it in Jess and Lauren's faces." Dara grinned. I knew she would be happy about that.

"You sound like Charlie." I said, returning the small smile.

"I already told you, I always liked Charlie." Dara said.

Continuing with our conversation's theme, we talked about the wedding details. While we both knew that Alice probably had most of the wedding planned. Still, we wanted to make sure it was still Edward and me. I'm sure we'd have multiple wedding ideas and they would all merge, but considering we hadn't even set a date, I knew there was still time to really think about it.

"Dara, what are you going to do when we get back to the manor?" I asked after a break in the conversation.

"Avoid James as much as possible." Dara sighed.

"That'll be hard."

"As you said before, Rose will help me." Dara said.

"Well, we are going shopping tomorrow…"

"Maybe I'll come…"

"You even think about shopping? Wow…" I breathed.

"I sense a change in the wind." Dara grinned. I laughed at her revelation and she even broke out into a bigger smile.

We were silent after that, just enjoying the peace and serenity before returning to the chaos. We were both startled when Edward joined us, taking my hand in his as soon as he appeared, as well as Alice and Rosalie. Rosalie walked next to Dara and seemed to be trying to protect her. Alice was walking next to Edward and was talking animatedly about the wedding she was planning. As we got in view of the house, I saw James and his party all around the front steps. Laurent was standing off to the side, James was sitting on the front step and Victoria was behind him. She really hadn't changed much, other than the new fangs and thirst for blood. James immediately stood up when he saw us, and Victoria took the opportunity to wrap herself around his arm. Edward squeezed my hand gently and moved slightly in front of me. We slowed down a bit as Rosalie and Dara approached.

Dara stopped in front of James and I knew she was going into some sort of shock. Rosalie whispered into her ear and her mouth opened, attempting to form words, but nothing came out. In a blink of the eye, Rosalie had Dara in her arms and in the house. James followed them with his eyes, but made no movement to follow, partially because the harpy was holding him back.

"So Bella, you're not the only one in a high power match now." Victoria smiled. She moved to kiss James on the cheek but he moved his head to the side slightly.

"But my feelings are reciprocated." I smiled. I mimicked Victoria's move to kiss Edward's cheek, but he turned his head so I actually got a quick kiss. Victoria was glaring at me as we broke apart and moved to walk into the house.

"Here's something good to remember, you're in our house, you're our guest, and your rank is still lower than ours. Behave and I'll know if you're planning not to." Alice said before she danced into the house behind us. "I'm going to go find Jasper. I've had enough drama for the day."

"Enough drama? She does know Victoria is staying here, right?"

"She knows, she's just being dramatic herself." Edward sighed. "Are you tired? Do you need something to eat? You should rest…"

"Edward, I'm fine." I smiled. "Now, stop worrying about me and tell me what you want to do."

"I want to spend time with you, my fiancé."

"So Alice told you that we're going shopping." I sighed.

"She's taking you away all day." Edward pouted.

"But you'll have me for the rest of eternity." I smiled. I stretched up a bit and gently placed my lips on Edward's. His arms gripped my wait slightly, but not too hard. I stood still, waiting to see what he was going to do next. Edward sighed, relaxed, and then deepened the kiss, making me smile into it.

"You always know how to turn things around." Edward said.

"I'm sure you could find something to do with your brothers." I said.

"Emmett wants to go camping. Apparently he was out earlier with Rosalie and caught the sent of a bear, but she wouldn't let him go."

"You should go, have fun. I don't want to keep you from your family."

"You don't keep me from my family. I've been with them for a 100 years, we've had enough time together."

"Belly!" Emmett called as he came over.

"Emmy!" I called back. I looked up to Edward rolling his eyes and smiled. I really could fit in with this family, from the serious to the funny.

"Would you happen to know where my dear sweet wife is?" Emmett asked.

"You want to go after that bear don't you?" Edward asked.

"It's too tempting. Think of it like a big, giant bear. See the problem with your cats is that they barely fight back… bears on the other hand. They're mean."

"Cats are smart, they'll try and out think you before they attack. Bears will just defend themselves with brute strength. Once again, it's brawns over brains."

"But you aren't their normal prey so their little plans don't matter. A bear will attack either way." Emmett grinned.

"Aren't they annoying, Bella?" Alice asked as she came over. Jasper was following behind her, but stood back a few steps. I saw Edward look at him and nod before relaxing next to me once more. "Anyway, I'm here to rescue you so we can pick out something to wear tomorrow."

"Alice, I can pick out what to wear myself."

"Uh ya… I'm not going to let that happen. You'll pick the plainest dress just to stand back in the shadows. You're a Cullen now, no more plain dresses." Alice said.

"Can't you go pick out Dara's dress?" I asked.

"Hm… yes, that would be important." Alice nodded. "Rosalie is almost done talking with her and it looks like she's in the mood for company on another hunt Em."

"Well it looks like I'll get that bear today…" Emmett grinned. I'm sure he was thinking more considering Edward groaned and glared at Emmett. Emmett just smiled and ran off to meet his wife. Alice followed soon after with Jasper trailing after her.

"Is it really that easy to get rid of them?"

"No, you just had an excuse ready for you." Edward shrugged. "You want to walk through the back garden? James and his friends will be at the side one and Esme and Carlisle aren't even here."

"That sounds nice." I smiled.

"Not too long though, I can even see you're tired. Maybe a nap will be good before dinner?"

"Hm… possibly. It must be nice not ever having to sleep."

"There are things one misses… like dreams." Edward said.

"Have you ever looked into people's?"

"Bella, vampires don't sleep and I don't tend to leave to find out what people are dreaming about."

"What about Dara? She must have been dreaming since she's been here."

"She has. Most of the time it's nightmares or involve James so I tend to try and avoid them." Edward sighed.

"Nightmares? About what?"

"At first about the wolves, but like I said, I've been avoiding her dreams."

"I've almost completely forgot about that…" I sighed.

We turned a corner in the garden to find a bench almost completely surrounded by the rose bushes. Edward led me over and we sat down amongst all the roses. At first we just sat there, holding hands, but eventually we started talking about future plans. Alice had been thinking about different ideas for the weddings, driving Edward insane. While Esme wasn't as occupied with the wedding, she was still trying to express her own ideas. Esme and Alice both wanted us to come up with a date soon so they could narrow down a theme for both the wedding in Forks as well as the reception at the manor.

"You know, Carlisle proposed Esme in this spot."

"Really? Esme was already living here?"

"Carlisle changed Esme when he found her in the hospital, so yes, she had already moved here with us. It was quite scandalous, I assure you, but we told people that Esme and Carlisle were courting and Esme's family had recently been involved in an accident. After the wedding everything calmed down once more."

"If that's scandalous I wonder what people think of me being here."

"It's not as scandalous anymore, but the fact there are a number of couples here to chaperone us is preventing people from speaking up."

"And I'm sure that your name and the power behind it has nothing to do with that."

"Of course not, that just makes the rumor mills turn a bit." Edward grinned. "Don't worry, we don't tend to worry what others say, we live by different rules."

"Obviously." I sighed. I snuggled into Edward's shoulder a bit and closed my eyes. I stifled the few yawns that tried to escaped and smiled as Edward kissed my forehead softly. I knew I was falling asleep, but I didn't want to move from my spot…

oOoOoOo

I woke up back in my room. I still had on my dress from today on, but I was tucked into my bed. I sat up and smoothed out my hair before getting up and walking over to the window. The sun had already set, although the sky had yet to completely darken and the stars were still dark.

"Good evening Bella." Alice chirped as she came in.

"Good evening." I said.

"Well, Edward's downstairs ready for dinner. I figured you'd rather eat with him than pick something out to wear tomorrow."

"I'm sorry Alice, but yes."

"Why be sorry? Yes, fashion is important and a concept you have yet too completely master, but I would expect you to be with Edward more right now."

"Thanks Alice." I smiled.

"Wait!" She called. I groaned and stopped before turning around.

"Come back here and sit down. Your hair is still a bit unruly and I am not letting you go downstairs and see your fiancé without making sure you look your best." Alice said. I walked back over and sat down in the chair in front of Alice. She quickly pulled all the pins out of my hair and brushed out the long strands again. She then tied it back up before patting my shoulder and telling me to go.

I walked downstairs and was walking through the halls and found Edward waiting for me in solarium. He was standing in front of one of the glass panels with his hands clasped behind his back. I could see his reflection smile as I stepped up.

"I was beginning to wonder when you were going to wake up. I thought I was going to have to awaken the sleeping princess with a kiss."

"My life has become a fairytale, but not that one." I grinned.

"So my dear princess does not want a kiss?"

"No, this princess does want a kiss from her prince, she's just not going to be stupid enough to fall under a wicked witch's spell."

"Hm… but I so enjoy rescuing you." Edward purred. He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into him.

"And I enjoy being rescued, but I don't want to miss any time with you." I replied. "Now, can you shut up and give me my kiss?"

"As my princess wishes." Edward murmured before placing his lips on mine with slight pressure. I wrapped my arms around his neck and opened my lips, giving his tongue entrance into my mouth. I wasn't too sure how far Edward would let this go since it seems every time is different. Still, his tongue caressed mine before tangling with it. It was Edward's own growl/groan that broke the spell. He didn't fly to the other side of the room, but he did stand back up and keep his eyes closed.

"You have no idea what you do to me." Edward groaned.

"Really? Could it be similar to what you do to me?" I asked. Edward just groaned again and ran a hand through his hair.

"Let's get some food in you, you should be quite hungry."

"For not being able to read me mind, you know me quite well."

"I would like to think so considering we are engaged." Edward said.

I sat down at the table and Edward sat down next to me. He leaned back in his chair and it was the most relaxed I'd ever seen him. Usually he has a slight tension in his back, but now he just looked like a regular guy shutting down for the night.

"When was the last time you fed?" I asked.

"What?" Edward asked, startled.

"When was the last time you fed?" I repeated. "You said you were going tomorrow, but how often do you need to feed."

"Depends on how much I had and what's going on. I find myself feeding more with you around."

"Trying to stuff yourself in order to ignore the temptation." I said quietly.

"Something like that. Bella, you know I don't want to hurt you so I'm taking every precaution I can."

"O, well, thank you. When do you usually feed? When I'm asleep?"

"When you're here, yes. I fed more often and at different times of the day while you were in Forks, but I don't want to be away from you that long." Edward explained.

"Aw how sweet… Laurent, look what I found!" My back instantly straightened when I heard Victoria's sneer. Edward was instantly out of his seat standing behind my own, blocking me from Victoria.

"Victoria, leave them be. You've caused more trouble than you're worth." Laurent sighed.

"You should listen to your handler." Edward growled.

"I cause trouble? I didn't ask for this…"

"Not like you're complaining." I muttered.

"What was that Swan?" Victoria growled. Edward growled in response and started to tense up even more, as though he was ready to attack.

"You aren't complaining about your situation. Your causing rifts between people, breaking relationships, and annoying everyone around you. You're right, you never asked for this and neither did anyone else, especially James and Dara."

"Well Swan, it looks like someone grew a back bone finally." Victoria sneered. "Too bad that backbone can be easily snapped.

Edward roared. He lunged himself at Victoria, grabbing her by her neck and throwing her through one of the glass windows. I winced and shielded my face behind my arms as the glass shattered. Edward tried to go after Victoria, but Emmett and Jasper had already arrived and were holding him back. Alice ran over and carried me behind the wall of vampires. Esme wrapped her arms around me as soon as Alice set me down. Edward was still trying to get to Victoria, who was standing up and brushing class off her clothes, when James arrived. He looked around the room and immediately realized something big had happened. No one said anything; that is until Dara came up. She was still half asleep as she weaved through everyone till she was standing next to James.

"What's going on?" Dara asked as she thread her hand through James' own.

Everyone was surprised at her action. She was still wiping the sleep from her eyes and had yet to realize what she was doing. James was looking down, with hope, love, and disbelief in his eyes. It looked as though he was about to pull her back into him when once more, Victoria ruined the moment.

"Get your filthy human hands off of him!"

That woke Dara up and she realized what was going on. She looked at her hands, then up at James. James' eyes were pleading with her to not let go, but after a handful of seconds, Dara pulled away. As soon as she stepped back, James turned on Victoria.

"You stupid bitch." James roared. For the first time, Victoria looked scared. The Cullens were still tense, but they had backed up, letting James deal with Victoria as he saw fit. I tried to move over to Edward again, but Esme held me back.

"James… why are you defending her?" Victoria asked. "She's just a lowly human, nothing special."

"Nothing special? She's special to me and those who actually know her."

"But she's not even your singer!" Victoria yelled.

"I've begun to realize some singers are meant to be killed when they're discovered." James growled. "You've annoyed me to no end, you caused my love to leave me, and you've become more and more of a nuisance. I should let Edward kill you, I really should."

"But James…"

"But I won't, not because I have feelings for you, but because I created you so you're my responsibility. Laurent, if you could please escort Victoria back to Ruthridge so I can decide what to do with her."

"You aren't going with her?" Rosalie asked.

"I'd probably kill her if I did… although that's still looking like the probable action."

Laurent slipped by and grabbed Victoria's arm before dragging her off. As soon as she came out of her stupor she started screaming like the harpy she was. James turned around to Dara who was stunned by what had just happened. She didn't say anything; she just turned and practically ran back to her room. I was about to follow her when Alice stopped me and shook her head. I turned to look at James, who looked like a defeated man with nothing left. For once, I actually pitied him and the situation he found himself in.

Edward came up to me and wrapped his arms around me. I copied the action and wrapped mine around him as well. "Let's go get you something to eat."

"I'm not hungry." I whispered.

"Bella… you barely ate."

"I lost my appetite. I'll have a big breakfast in the morning."

"I'll make sure of that." Alice said. Everyone started walking away in pairs, disappearing into different parts of the house. I watched James walk back off outside, losing himself in the nature around the Cullen Manor.

"Will they be ok?" I asked quietly.

"They should be." Edward sighed.

"Can we go to our meadow? I want to get away from here."

Edward paused for a second before nodding and picking me up. I wrapped my arms around his neck and buried my face into his chest. I felt the wind fly around us, but refused to look up. When we got to the meadow Edward stopped and set me down. I only walked a few steps before sitting down and pulling Edward down next to me. Edward fell back, surprised at my action. I took advantage of his position and lay down partially on top of him.

"What do you want to talk about?"

"Nothing. I just want to sit here with you and look at the stars." I smiled. Edward nodded and positioned us so that he had one arms wrapped around my band and the other under his head. He traced aimless patterns on my arm, a simple yet comforting action. I really hadn't napped too long, or at least I don't think I did, so the stars started to dim and I once more found myself falling asleep curled into Edward.


	18. A Change in the works

"Good morning Bella!"

Ugh, Alice is way to cheery. I understand vampires don't sleep and all, but can't they seem even a bit more grouchy or tired. Especially after the events of last night, I really didn't need the little pixie dancing around my room.

"Come on Bella, wake up! We're going shopping for your wedding dress today!"

"Alice, I thought we were just going shopping, not for anything specific."

"O no, we've given you a few days to get over the bliss of being engaged. Now we need to get a move on things for the wedding. Trust me, the bliss after your married is so much more… intense. You'll be wanting that instead of just sitting around each other all day."

"Alice?"

"Yes?"

"Slow down and calm down. I'm getting up, but I promised Edward I'd have a big breakfast and all."

"I know, that's why I'm here. I have to get you ready for everything. Geez, it's like you've never met me before."

"Alice, please." I said.

"Your dress is on the chair, let's get you in the then we'll work on your hair. Before you know it, you'll be eating with your fiancé."

"Couldn't I get something to drink first? Something with caffeine possibly?" I asked.

"I'm sure Marcel has some coffee or tea somewhere, I'll go get you some." Alice said. She bounded out the door and I finally got to take a breath and relax.

Since I knew she wouldn't be gone long I quickly washed my face and brushed my teeth. As I was drying my face off I turned too look out one of the large windows. I was surprised to find James sitting in the garden bellow it, well off to the side, which would make it below Dara's window actually. He still had such a defeated look on his face, but I knew he'd probably have that look for sometime. Dara might have shown some ignorance of the past events last night, but I knew this morning would be different.

"My sister has driven you to caffeine now?" I spun around, pleasantly surprised to see Edward standing just inside my room.

"When I'm woken up by her, yes." I sighed. "You couldn't have woken me up when you left or before she got here?"

Last night Edward had carried me back to my room and while I was not completely awake, I knew he had remained next to me most of the night. Of course this is after getting Alice to change me into some nightclothes and make sure I was under the covers, I'm sure. Once Alice was gone, Edward was back and I was once more curled into his side. Of course he remained on top of my covers, trying to keep some elements of being the gentleman. If only the gossip queens could see this, I'm sure they would just go nuts.

"I'm sorry love, but I needed to discuss some things with my father and brothers."

"Of course." I replied.

"Edward, out." Alice ordered as she came in. She handed me a cup of coffee, with milk and sugars already added, before pushing Edward out. I pouted as I realized I didn't even get a good morning kiss. "Don't look like that. You'll get all the kisses you need at breakfast. Why don't you have your dress on? At this pace we'll never get to town, or at least not till night fall!"

"Alice, have you forgotten to breathe since you've become a vampire?"

"While it is not a needed action, there are some things the body continues to do after it has transformed." Alice shrugged. "So yes I still know how to breathe."

"Good, then start doing so and calm down."

I set my coffee down on small desk in my room and changed into the dress Alice had picked out. Once she approved of all of the accessories she had decided to add, she had me sit down so she could work on my hair. I sipped my coffee peacefully as she brushed my hair into submission then curled it. Once the curls draped down my back, she took bobby pins and piled them all onto the back of my head. She was pinning the last one when her hand stopped. I looked at her confused as to why she had stopped and noticed how dilated her eyes were.

"Alice? Alice what is it? Alice!" I tried to get her to wake back up, not knowing what was going on.

My door flew open and Edward and Jasper were running inside. Edward stood stunned for a second, I'm sure reading through Alice's thoughts or sharing whatever vision she was having. Jasper immediately rushed to Alice and wrapped his arms around her. He didn't say anything to her or move her anywhere, he just waited.

Edward finally walked over to me and pinned the piece of hair that Alice was still holding in her hand. That seemed to snap her back into reality. She looked around a bit, noting everyone who had joined us in the room and then the fact that Edward had finished my hair. I'm sure she would fuss about it later, but right now she looked more worried about something else.

"Edward?" Alice asked, looking up.

"I saw. I'm taking Bella to town for breakfast. We'll be back later, once things have calmed down."

"Calmed down? Why do things need to calm down?" I asked.

"Wait, does anyone know where Dara is though? I haven't been to her room yet to wake her up, I figured she could use the extra time."

"I saw her leaving earlier. She was in a walking dress so I assume she's somewhere nearby." Almost at that instant all three vampires became tense. Since everything was quiet I could hear the faint scream coming from some distance away.

"It's already happening." Alice whispered with a slight panic in her voice.

"We're going." Edward said. He all but picked me up and carried me out of the room, with Jasper and Alice passing us on the stairs.

"Alice, what's going on? Who screamed?" Esme asked. The four other Cullens and James were all at the bottom of the stairs looking for the injured or scared party. Edward tried to get me through, but no one was moving to let him. I could tell he was getting irritated, but since I wanted some information as well, I rubbed his arm, hoping to calm him.

"It's Dara." James was instantly in front of Alice and I backed up behind Edward, terrified at the fury that was on his face.

"What about Dara?" James asked.

"Victoria apparently got away from James last night. She circled back around and that scream was her attacking Dara."

"Why the hell didn't you say so in the first place?" James roared. Jasper moved to step in front of Alice to protect her, but James had already turned and was running to find Dara.

"She's next to the lake!" Alice shouted.

Rosalie took off behind James, followed by all the other Cullens except Edward and I. I could tell Edward wanted to go, but also that he wanted to stay with me and get me away from here. "We need to go."

"No, we're not going anywhere. If Dara is hurt or in trouble then I'm staying." I said.

"Bella, it's not that she's hurt anymore."

"What are you talking about? That was her screaming and seven vampires just ran out to help her, she's hurt!"

"By the time she gets home, she'll be changing. James with throw Victoria off just in time to not completely lose Dara, but she'll have plenty of venom in her to change. I don't want you around her while she's a newborn."

"So you're saying I can't see my best friend? My sister?"

"Not right now, no." Edward said. "We're going to town until she's in a secure room for when she wakes up."

"But I want to be with her!"

"Bella, you don't want to see her like this, trust me. I've seen transformations before and it is not something I wish anyone to see or be a part of. So please, let's go to town."

"If I go to town with you now, will you let me see her when we get back?"

"No."

"Then I'm not going to town."

"Bella, please." Edward sighed.

"Edward, she's my sister…"

"Alright, fine. I'll talk to Carlisle when we get back so you can go in when it's safe, but I'm not sure when that will be or how long that will last."

"Thank you, that's all I'm asking." I said, kissing him on his cheek.

Edward was still tense as he called for one of the coaches. As soon as it pulled up he helped me in before sliding into the seat across from me. On the journey to town we joked about how scandalous we were going to be since we didn't have chaperones and we were not yet married. Then again, the whole Cullen family as had their individual moments of scandal so it really wouldn't be new to anyone.

Edward chose a small bakery that smelled delightful. Considering it was almost noon and I still hadn't eaten, just smelling the fresh made bread was enough to get my mouth to water. I ordered a croissant sandwich and Edward turned the sales girl down politely when she asked him if he needed _anything_. He also wrapped his arms around me and made sure his point got through. I just smiled the whole time, although I did watch what she was doing to my sandwich.

Once I had food in me, we started walking through the streets. There were plenty of little shops selling different goods, just like Blythe, and it was relaxing just to window shop. When we came up a tailor Edward said we should stop and see what type of designs for a wedding dress they had.

"Alice is going to kill us when she finds out we were looking at designs, especially when finds out you were looking with me."

"How about you look and I'll go get measured for my suit?"

"Fine." I sighed. The tailor's wife was apparently the dressmaker and so she sat me down with a large book full of designs. I started flipping through pages with nothing jumping out at me. A few had large skirts, too large for me, and others had too much detail. I came to the last page and stopped. There on the page was an incomplete drawing. I could tell the seamstress wanted to add details, but the dress she had drawn out was perfect as is. No, embroidery, no lace, no large skirt. It would be scandalous I'm sure, but slowly I was getting used to the fact the Cullens were trendsetters and that risky behavior and clothing came with the name.

"O Miss, I'm sorry, but that sketch is not done yet."

"No, for me it is." I said. "I like it plan and simple like that."

"Really?" The older woman asked.

"Yes." I nodded. "I don't like to be the center of attention and that's perfect for me."

"Well, I do have some nice silk I can make it out of. What about a veil?"

"Simple lace, again, with some embroidery details around the edges perhaps?"

"That sounds lovely dear. When do you think you can make it back? I can get your size now and start working on the dress, but you'll need to come back for fittings."

"Can we wait on the dress sizing? I'd like my soon to be sister-in-law to come in with me first."

"Of course dear. I'll keep that sketch and pull the material for it now though."

"We'll be back soon, I have a feeling she'll want to come as soon as she knows I've picked something out."

"That sounds lovely dear." The old woman said with a smile. "I believe your fiancé is almost done. You can wait for him right here if you want. I'll let him know you're ready."

"Thank you." I smiled. The seamstress returned the smile and nodded before turning and walking through the back rooms. I relaxed on one of the chairs and waited for Edward to return. The old woman was right and he was out and ready to go within only a minute or two.

"Did you find a dress?" Edward asked.

"I did."

"What does it look like?"

"I'm not telling you. You're such a fan of giving surprises, now you'll get one."

Edward huffed and muttered a fine like I did every time he told me he had a surprise for me. We walked out of the store and down the street a bit more, but I was starting to get anxious to get back to the house. So Edward and I returned to where the carriage was waiting for us and returned home.

Before allowing me into the house, we waited for Carlisle to come down and let us know what was happening.

"Bella, Edward, it's good to see you both." Carlisle said. "I hope you had a pleasant day in town."

"We did." Edward said. He was frowning slightly and I knew that could mean the worst for Dara.

"How is she?" I asked.

"Bella, she's not doing well. When Victoria attacked, she meant to kill Dara, not to change her. She still has plenty of the bruising and scratches on her and currently it's one of the hardest parts of the transformation taking place. There will be a lot of screaming and I'm still not sure if you should see her."

"Carlisle, please." I whispered. Carlisle looked up at Edward who sighed and nodded before nodding his consent to me.

"She's upstairs in another prepared room. Alice and Jasper just went hunting with Emmett, but Rosalie and James are with her."

"James is still here? Why isn't he taking care of the pest he created?" Edward growled.

"Because he already took care of her." Carlisle replied. He patted Edward's shoulder before walking off.

"Edward, what does he mean? Did James kill Victoria?" I asked.

"Yes. With the help of my brothers." Edward sighed. "Come on, there will be some peace for a few minutes before the screaming starts again."

Edward led me up the stairs, past both my room as well as Dara's. We came to a room in the far back corner and I could hear whimpering coming from inside. I looked up at Edward and his face seemed to be torn between letting me actually see her and taking me back. Still, he opened the door for me. When I walked in I was surprised to see Dara sitting on top of a mattress without any blankets or anything. The room had the bare minimum in it when it came to furniture. Rosalie was standing off to the side watching while James sat right next to the bed. His face had scratches, but they were already healing.

I didn't say anything as I took a chair and sat down across from James. He looked at me quickly before looking back down at Dara. Her face was contorted in pain and she was whimpering. Every few seconds her body would shiver, then still, then repeat the action. Edward squeezed my shoulder before going over and talking to Rosalie. James looked over his shoulder and glared at him, but quickly returned his attention to Dara. He picked up one of her hands and traced slow circles on the top. As a piece of the long nightgown fell down her side I could see the cuts and bruises on her skin. They were still red and irritated, but the cuts were no longer open. I looked closer at Dara's face and saw all of the bruises and swelling on her cheeks and around her eyes. She had a few cuts around her forehead, but like those on her arms, they were already healing. One her neck was a handprint where Victoria had held her. Her hair was placed strategically over her bite wound so I couldn't see that, but I'm slightly happy I couldn't.

"Bella, we need to go." Edward whispered.

"Why so soon?" I asked.

"She's about to have another fit." Edward explained. He gave me little time to respond and had me out the door quickly. As soon as the door was shut Dara started screaming again. Carlisle was just coming up and looked sadly at Edward and I. He sighed as he walked into the room. When he opened the door I could see Dara twisting her body and throwing her limbs around. James had her arms pinned down while Rosalie pinned down her legs.

"How long will this go on?"

"The transformation will take three days, but due to the other injuries, she probably won't wake up for four."

"O." I sighed.

"You might want to rest for a bit. We're moving your room upstairs up for now due to all the noise and commotion."

"But…"

"Alice is going to want to question you when she gets home, you'll want rest."

I thought about it for a minute before conceding. Edward escorted me up to the third level of the house and showed me to my new room. He also pointed out this is where the family had their personal rooms as well. I questioned Edward on his room, but he just smiled and told me I'd see it eventually.


	19. Seperation

**A/N**- Someone want to review? Anyone? Please?

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Rosalie and James spent the next three days fussing over Dara. After the second day, Dara stopped screaming and the room was quiet. Carlisle had started bringing home bags of blood, which he kept in a small refrigerator in his private office. Edward was always with me, except when I was changing or Alice was fussing over my wardrobe. He would let me change at night before coming back in and sitting next to me as I fell asleep. When he had to talk to Carlisle one night, I waited until he returned before finally falling asleep. It didn't seem as though he minded much either. He would be there when I woke up and then would leave so I could change before showing up at my door when I was ready for breakfast. Today was no different.

"How are you this morning?" Edward asked.

"Edward, you were here when I woke up." I said.

"True, but I figured I'd ask still."

"Well then, I was better about thirty minutes ago when I was in the arms of my angel." I replied. I stepped onto my tip-toes and placed a gentle kiss on his lips.

"Angel is pushing it, but I'll take it." Edward grinned. I smiled since for the first time he didn't mention how he was a demon because of being a vampire and his past.

"What are we going to do today?" I asked.

"Well, you'll be having breakfast and then I have a surprise for you."

"A surprise? I hate surprises…"

"You won't say that later, I promise." Edward smiled. He bent down and kissed me gently before standing back up and offering me his arm.

Since the solarium was still out of use, we went back to out to the back where there was a table set up for us. The sun was shining and I looked back at Edward, unsure if he was really going to come out with me. Edward didn't hesitate a second and stepped out, leading me over to the table. The food was already set on the table so as soon as we sat down, Edward had already plated food for me. As I ate, I couldn't keep my eyes off of Edward. With the sun shining down on him, his skin was sparkling brilliantly. It was just so eye catching, and he knew it. Even though his skin was distracting me, I caught his knowing smile when he'd look over at me.

"So when do I get this surprise?" I asked.

"Later, like I said."

"No, you said after breakfast."

"Which will be later." Edward grinned.

"You're frustrating."

"And you think you aren't? You're the only one I can't read and you're the only one I've ever wanted to."

"Well I guess I'll just always be a mystery then." I smiled. "Anyway, now I get to surprise you occasionally."

"With what?" Edward grinned.

"You'll just have to see."

I finished the last few bites of my eggs and fruit before setting my fork down and wiping my face clean. I looked at Edward expectantly, not wanting to wait any longer for my surprise. Edward knew exactly what was going on to. He just sat back and stretched his legs out. If he wasn't sparkling and if he wasn't a vampire, I figured he was enjoying the warmth of the sun. I pouted, and he ignored me, and then I bit my lip and pouted and I finally got a reaction out him. He rolled his eyes and helped me out of my chair. We walked back into the house, passing Emmett and Jasper on the way. Both smiled and nodded at us, but they looked as though they were off to go hunting.

"Hi Bella, hi Edward." Alice said, stopping us in our tracks.

I groaned, not wanting to be interrupted on the way to my surprise.

"Don't worry Bella, you're going to love what Edward has to show you. Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that Dara's almost done with her transformation."

"Emmett and Jasper were going hunting though." Edward said, frowning.

"They're staying close and I've already told them when to be back by. Don't worry, if there are any problems they'll be here." Alice grinned. "Have fun."

"She's always so… cryptic."

"That's Alice." Edward shrugged.

"Did she know exactly when Dara should be waking up?"

"She did."

"Did she think it?" I asked.

"She did." Edward nodded again.

"Are you going to tell me?"

"Do you want your surprise?" He countered.

"Seriously, that's not fair!" I cried.

"Come on, we're almost to your surprise anyway."

We continued our way through the house, going up to the second floor and then to the third. We walked past my room and Edward and to the room at the very end of the hall. Edward opened the door for me, smiling at me as I walked past him. The room was clean. It was white with white shelves filled with records and then in the center was a large black piano. I was speechless to say the least. I walked to the center of the room and ran my finger over the top of the polished black hood of the piano. There was a white cushioned seat off to the side as well as another one next to the glass window/wall on the far side of the room. I looked out the window to see a magnificent view of the fields, forest, and even a part of the stables.

I was brought out of my reverie when Edward started playing. The notes broke the stillness, but all for the better. The song was slow and elegant, as though the notes were caressing something fragile. I walked back over to Edward and sat down next to him. My presence didn't stop his concentration at all. He continued playing his song, placing his full attention into what he was doing. The notes continued their calming serenade, almost putting me to sleep on Edward's shoulder. When he stopped, he took my hand and kissed my forehead.

"What do you think?"

"I think it's amazing." I whispered.

"The room?"

"The room and your playing. Why'd you wait all this time to show me."

"I needed to finish the song first."

"Wait, you composed that song?"

"I did." Edward nodded. "And do you know who inspired it?"

"Uh… Rosalie." I joked.

"Uh… no." Edward replied.

"Me?"

"Indeed."

"It's so beautiful, Edward. Thank you." I smiled. I kissed him softly, except I didn't move my lips away so fast. Edward sucked my lower lip into his mouth and I scooted even closer into him so I was now half on his lap. Edward's hands gripped my hips and dug into my skin slightly.

"We need to stop." Edward groaned, breaking our kiss.

"You say that at the worst times." I sighed.

"You have no idea."

"So all these records, are they yours?"

"Yes. They're the overflows from my room."

"Overflow? How many records do you have?"

"Bella, you have to remember that I've been alive for just over a 100 years."

"Yes I know, grandpa."

"Grandpa?" Edward growled, slightly insulted. I was giggling next to him and nodded in confirmation. "I'll show you a grandpa."

Before I knew it, Edward had tackled me, but before I could hit the chair, he had me on his back and was running out the door. We ran past our rooms, down through the stairs and hallways till we were outside. Edward kept running as we reached the forest and through it. He finally stopped at our meadow, setting me down on the moist grass.

"So am I grandpa now?"

"No, I guess not." I grinned. "But you do look young for your age."

"Thanks." Edward laughed. One of his hands came up and cupped my head as he leaned down and gently kissed me. I immediately opened my mouth for him, and he took advantage of the invitation. His hand gripped my hair and pulled me back a bit more, deepening the kiss. Edward broke the kiss and kissed down my neck to my collar and back up. He broke apart for a second and I looked into his eyes. They were dark black.

"Edward…" I whispered. Edward didn't take his hand out of his hair, but he looked back at me. His eyes were still black. "Edward, stop." I said, a bit louder. He continued to stare at me, but when I let out a whimper he finally blinked and seemed to come around.

"Bella…" Edward whispered. As soon has he had completely regained control of himself and realized what he had been doing, he ran back away from me.

"Edward, come back here!" I called.

"I'll… I'll be right back!" He called over his shoulder. He turned around from me and continued running into the forest. I couldn't believe he would just take off like that, leaving me alone. I found the driest patch of grass I could and sat down to wait for him.

Edward finally came back about twenty minutes later. When he arrived he walked over and sat down next to me, but he made sure to leave some space between us. I wasn't having any of it and scooted over to him. He was tense for a minute, but I leaned onto his arm and he eventually relaxed. I knew he wanted to say something, but I just nestled into his shoulder and ignored him.

"We should be getting back." Edward sighed.

"Should we?"

"Yes." Edward said. He stood up, helped me up, and then slung me back onto his back. He took off towards the mansion, except this time it was nowhere near as fun as it was coming to the meadow. It was almost awkward.

"Everyone's back." Alice said as we walked in. Edward nodded, but continued to carry me back upstairs.

"Would you like to see those records that weren't in the music room?"

"Mr. Cullen, are you asking if I would like to see your room?" I asked.

"I am."

"Then yes, I would."

Edward walked over to his door, opened it, and dropped me onto a couch that sat off to one side. The walls were indeed covered in more records. There were a few different players scattered throughout the room and a desk on one wall. At the center of the bed was a bed with black covers and black pillows. I'm sure Alice hadn't been able to decorate it since it didn't have a hint of her flair on it.

"The bed is new." Edward said. "Everyone else had one, but I never had the need or understood why they always needed one. But after I met you I understood."

"So you just got it?"

"It came yesterday when we were in town, which is why you couldn't come in till now."

"Thank you for showing me." I smiled. I turned to the shelves and started looking through the different records. One old used cover caught my eye so I walked over and pulled it out. I immediately recognized the simple cover art on it.

"Claire de Lune, you look as though you know it."

"When my mother was alive, it was one of her favorites." I whispered. "After she died, I played it constantly until I actually wore it out. I kept it still, even though we could never play it again."

Edward didn't say anything. He took the record out of the case and put it on one of the players. The soft notes of my childhood song started floating in the air, causing memories of my mother to come running back. I set the record down and sat on Edward's bed, patting the spot next to me so he could sit down with me.

Before Edward could move over, the door flew open and Dara was standing there, except it wasn't the Dara I knew. Edward was immediately in front of me, protecting me from my old friend. She looked at me as though I was food, which I guess for her I was now. She started hissing when Edward blocked her view of me and Edward immediately took a defensive stance.

"Dara?" I whispered, hoping I could reach her.

She only hissed at me in response. I could see in her eyes that she was trying to find a way to get to me and for the first time, I was scared of my friend. Since all of her attention was focused on he, she didn't know James and Rosalie were behind her. James grabbed her and Rosalie immediately popped a bag of blood on her teeth. Dara's attention was immediately turned to the bag of blood and as soon as she had finished one, Rosalie handed her another bag, and another, and another. She went through five before slowing down.

Edward was still standing in front of me and I was peeking over his shoulder. The rest of the family had entered the room, ready to restrain Dara if needed. She seemed to have regained her senses as she looked around and assessed everything.

"I… I…" Dara stuttered.

"It's perfectly normal, Dara. All vampires are hungry when they awaken from the change. You have nothing to be sorry about." Carlisle said.

"I tried attacking my best friend!" Dara cried. She collapsed into James' arms. I felt her anguish and felt bad for the situation she had been put in.

"Which we should have expected. We're sorry we didn't and we should have had Bella go to Forks or one of the other properties." Edward

"You knew that wasn't going to happen." Alice sighed.

"Where were you Alice? You told me we still had time." Edward growled.

"You did, but you spent a lot of it distracted and she woke up sooner than I expected." Alice explained.

"Your visions have been getting worse and worse, sister." Edward growled.

"Well I'm sorry they are not constant like some of our gifts, brother." Alice replied.

"Both of you stop." Carlisle said. "We need to figure something out since, unfortunately, Dara and Bella can not be in the same area while Dara is a newborn and has no control over her instincts."

"How long will that be?" Dara and I asked.

"We cannot say." Carlisle sighed.

"We can go to Forks." I said.

"We need to plan your wedding still! There's sampling of the different foods, guest placements, flower arrangements…" Alice exclaimed.

"Why don't I leave then? You have a lot of human staff here as well that I could put in danger." Dara volunteered.

"And were would you go?" Esme asked.

"She'll come back to Ruthridge with me." James said.

"No, I don't want to go there." Dara said quickly.

"We have plenty of other places we could go. I'll teach you everything." James insisted.

"I don't… I still don't think I can be alone with you right now." I sighed. James's arms fell away, defeated once more.

"Emmett and I could take her to the Denali's. They'll teach her what she needs to know." Rosalie said. "Anyway, I haven't seen Tanya or the others in such a long time."

"It's been six months, babe." Emmett said.

"Which is a long time for Rose." Alice explained.

"That does sound like the best idea. Esme and I will go with you as well." Carlisle said.

"Edward, Bella, why don't you still go back to Forks. I'm sure Alice will want to figure out where the ceremony will be."

"O yes! Good point Esme." Alice agreed.

"I want to wait." I said. Everyone turned to look at me and I regretted it instantly. I knew I was going to have to fight for what I wanted and I guess I'd have to start now.

"What?" Alice and Edward both asked, turning to her.

"Dara's my best friend, my sister, and since I won't be turned until sometime after we're married I want to wait so she can come to the wedding."

"Bella, she can't come to Forks, she'll be recognized."

"Alice can figure out a way to disguise her." I said.

"You're having another ceremony here, we'll postpone that one and use the Forks ceremony as the official wedding."

"No, I want Dara there." I said.

"Bella, get married. We both know it's what you want to do. Don't wait for me." Dara said.

"You're not changing my mind this time, Dara." I said. "We'll just have a long engagement until Dara's ready and can be there."

Everyone was silent until Edward sighed and relaxed his shoulders slightly. "If that's what you want."

"It is." I said. Edward nodded and kissed my head and everyone knew that the discussion was over. I watched them, happy my friend was in love, but torn since I knew those same feelings in me for James were quite alive and I knew I could not yet act on them.

"Let's not make Bella wait longer than needed. Shouldn't we leave for your friend's? Where do they live anyway?"

"They live in Denali. The area was named after the family." Rosalie explained. "We can be ready to go within the hour."

"Sounds good to me." Dara sighed.

"I'm coming with you." James stated. Great, this was going to lead to another fight.

"No, you're going back to Ruthridge. Don't you have some lordly issues to deal with? What about Laurent? Does he know what's been going on? Shouldn't you talk to him?" Dara fought back.

"I have and everything is fine." James confirmed.

"I quite doubt that." Dara muttered. She took Rosalie's hand and ran out of the room. The rest of the family started filtering out after them, talking about what had just happened and what was going to happen.

"I'm not going to be able to say goodbye, am I?" I asked Edward.

"You can be there, but you can't have any contact with Dara. It's a stretch with you just being there." Edward sighed.

"I know, and thank you for letting me at least be there." I said. I kissed his cheek before sitting back on the bed.

We relaxed until Edward declared everyone who was leaving was ready to go. He took my hand and we walked outside and waited for Dara and Rosalie to come down. Their bags had already been given to one of the servants to be take separately so now we were mostly just waiting around. James was also outside waiting. Edward growled quietly and let go of my hand. He walked over to James and made a few, choice comments. Edward came back over to me and wrapped his arms around me, resting his head on my shoulder. I watched as James ran behind Dara and started talking to her, most likely pleading with her. When they were done talking, James backed off and finally looked completely defeated. Somehow he had kept hope the past week, and now he looked broken beyond repair.

"Bella, keep me updated on wedding details." Dara said. She kept her distance from me even though we both didn't want that.

"Of course. Let me know when you feel comfortable enough to come back." I smiled.

"You know I will." Dara returned the smiled.

"Dara, you ready?" Rosalie asked.

"Yes." She replied. replied.

"Then let's go!" Emmett roared happily. Rosalie took Dara's hand before I could blink they were gone. Esme and Carlisle were gone, Emmett and Rosalie were gone, and Dara was gone.

"I already miss her." I whispered.

"You'll see her again, don't worry." Alice smiled as she skipped over. "Jasper and I are going to go hunt. Tomorrow, we're starting on wedding arrangements."

"Do we have to?" I groaned, burying my head into Edward's chest.

"Yes." Alice said before running off with Jasper.

"Do you need to hunt?" I asked Edward.

"I did in the meadow, remember?" Edward said.

"Right, just making sure."

"It's appreciated." Edward replied. "Why don't we go back inside? We can relax in the library perhaps?"

"Mmmm… sounds like a plan to me." I grinned.


	20. Wedding Planning and Relaxing

**A/N**- Another chapter, another step to the impending ending. So, here you go.

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Alice and I had gone into town the day after Dara left. She looked at the sketching of my dress and agreed that while it was a plain Jane kind of dress, it was me. She made a few additions, with my permission, before moving on to looking at the veil. We decided to add lace all around the edge of the veil and just have it lay flat on my head. I knew if I had one the bushy ones then I would look like a moron trying to get it over my head during the ceremony.

After that, Alice wanted to go to the florist even though I tried telling her since we didn't know when the wedding would be, we couldn't pick flowers. Still, she wanted to look at arrangements so we could at least get an idea of what we were getting into. She was so picky though and before I was able to look at anything she had thrown most options out. Finally, we found some white and pale yellow flowers that could work, as well as a rose and baby's breath mixture. Alice started hounding the poor man behind the counter with questions concerning centerpieces and decorations since those would have to match my bouquet. While Alice was talking to the florist, I started looking around the shop. I was looking at some daisy's when someone held a tulip in front of my face. When I looked up, Edward was standing behind me grinning.

"Thank you." I said.

"It's a small gift for everything you've given me." Edward said. "However, I'm not here to give you a flower, I'm here to rescue you from the pixie."

"She's going to kill you."

"She already knows." Edward said. "Come on, let's get you some food."

"I swear, if I didn't know any better you are just trying to make me fat."

"No, not fat, just properly fed. I know you and Dara missed meals when you were working and I'm making sure that doesn't happen anymore."

"Well with the food I'm getting, I don't want to miss any meals. I just better be able to fit into my wedding dress."

"Don't worry, you will." Edward smiled.

With that, Edward had stolen me away from Alice for the rest of the day. I was thankful since Edward knew my tastes. Instead of going over every aspect of a wedding that wouldn't be happening for a while, instead we went to a bookstore. I found a few that I liked and Edward bought them for me. Apparently I would be getting a few shelves in the library for my own books. Now I had a mission to buy all that I could I guess.

The day after, I was forced to meet with Alice over seating arrangements for the reception. We had to make sure humans were as separated from vampires as much as possible. Since I didn't know a lot of Edward's vampire friends, Alice arranged those tables while I arranged the tables with my friends. Charlie and Dara's parents would have their own table while most of the others would be spread throughout the rest of the area. I wasn't planning on inviting the last of the harpies, but I knew Charlie wanted to rub this marriage in as thoroughly as possible so we invited them. Alice made sure that she would keep the eligible bachelors away from them, or that they knew ahead of time who the gold diggers were.

It took a few more days to finalize the other decorations and the final guest lists. Carlisle and Esme and arranged for a photographer to come out and take our engagement picture so we spent a good part of the day in various settings and poses. In the end, we went with a candid shot of Edward and I in the solarium. It had Edward leaning over my shoulder and me laughing up at him. Of course we also had a formal one inside as well. Edward and I spent most of an evening signing the envelopes before having Alice sent them off.

I felt so bad for Jasper over the last few days since he seemed to always be in the background, but never really doing anything. When I told Alice to go spend time with him she said she would and that he would understand. I knew they went hunting at night while I was asleep and Alice couldn't bug me over more details. I still felt bad, but every time I would worry about it I could feel calmness roll over me and knew Jasper was sending it. Luckily, the planning was almost over.

Over the whole process, Alice had created a photo album with all the swatches of clothes and pictures of how things were to turn out. The last thing we were going to worry about was food, but we had already discussed with Marcel about ideas for that. Alice would be hiring some help for him for that day, but he was still in control of the operation. We would be hiring out for a baker to make our cake. Alice had come up with some drawings, but I wanted to wait till we were closer just in case I had any ideas.

oOoOoOo

It had been two and a half weeks since Dara had left and the house was so much quieter. The most significant difference was that Emmett wasn't around joking around and annoying everyone. I was so used to walking out and watching the family come home from a hunt and see through Edward or Jasper down before taking off. Alice and Jasper would hunt whenever they wanted to, but I knew Edward was only going out while I slept. I tried to get him to go with his brother and sister once, but he refused to leave me at the house by myself. Ever since Dara went off by herself and got attacked, I wasn't allowed to be by myself.

"Hey Alice." I said as I saw her walk past my room.

"Yes?"

"Could you possibly get Edward to go hunting with you and Jasper sometime?" I asked.

"Of course. Is there something wrong?" Alice asked. She came into my room and sat down next to me.

"Nothing is wrong, but I haven't been alone unless everyone is in the house and close by. I'd like to just have a few minutes or hour completely to myself. I was also thinking about putting something together for Edward and I."

"Do you need me to get anything for you?"

"No. I just need some time to put it together. I've been picking the things up every time we've gone to town."

"Wow, you're sneaky getting past all of us. Well, Edward does need to go hunting tonight or tomorrow so Jasper and I will take him out this evening?"

"Possibly tomorrow? I can't fall asleep if he isn't with me."

"Really?"

"Ya, he was gone once and I tossed and turned until he got back."

"Well then, we'll take him out in the morning. Marcel will have breakfast ready for you in the kitchen, unless you want something else."

"That's fine."

"Alright, well then, I'll figure everything out. You just get whatever you need to get done, done."

"Thanks, Alice."

"Not a problem." She smiled.

Within the hour I could hear Alice an Edward talking, but I couldn't hear exactly what Alice was saying. I knew Edward would put up a fight, I was just hoping he'd give before Alice or I did. I wanted to go down there and tell them I didn't mean it, but I resisted. I was sitting in a chair next to my window when Edward walked into my room. He clicked the door shut quietly behind him. He came over and picked me up before taking my seat and placing me on his lap.

"Alice and Jasper want me to go on a hunt with them. They said that we need some time apart. She even quoted the "distance makes the heart grow founder" saying."

"So what are you going to do?" I asked, playing innocent.

"We're going to go hunting tomorrow." Edward said. "We'll be gone all morning and most of the afternoon."

"You should go and have fun. You've been taking care of me the whole time, go have fun with your family."

"Are you sure? Bella, I can stay here."

"I'm sure, Edward. I don't want to stop you from spending time with your family. Especially since Jasper has been so left out lately." I said.

"Bella, did you put this idea into Alice's head?" Edward asked.

"Why would you say that?"

"She was reciting poetry in different languages in her head." Edward said. "They only do that when they don't want me to figure something out."

"I might have suggested it to her." I said quietly.

"Why?"

"I already told you. You need to spend time with your family. Carlisle and Esme should be getting back soon as well and you've rarely spent any time with them since I've gotten here."

"I've known them for over hundred years and I only met you a few months ago."

"But you'll have me for eternity. We'll be together again in the afternoon. I'll be right here, waiting for you. I might even have something special for you."

"I'm starting to think there's another reason for you not wanting me to be here." Edward grinned.

"You like surprising me all the time and now it's my turn to surprise you." I said.

"We're not leaving till after you wake up so I'll still get to see you in the morning."

"Hm… and I'm so beautiful then."

"You're always beautiful." Edward said.

He pulled my head down and kissed me tenderly. I would have loved to deepen the kiss, but I was in such an awkward position I just let him lead the kiss. His hands did run up my sides a bit more than usual and I reveled in the feeling of it. They would squeeze my hip before running up under my breast, causing me to shiver. I was more than happy to keep going, but my back was hurting too bad. I broke the kiss and sat up to stretch my back.

"Even when I don't mean to, I end up hurting you." Edward whispered. He was kissing my shoulder repeatedly and massaging my lower back.

"Trust me, that pain was worth it, any pain would be worth it." I said.

"I don't know where you came from or how I found you, but I'm happy I did." Edward said.

oOoOoOo

Edward was there when I awoke as usual, but had left as soon as Alice had picked out my outfit for the day. I watched them leave for the forest through from my window. As soon as they were gone, I stood up and raced down to the library. I pulled books from various shelves off, revealing pieces of cloths, pressed flowers, and other trinkets. I really didn't know Edward or his family well enough to know where the best places to hide things would be, especially with Edward being able to read minds and Alice knowing all of our decisions. So, I was pleasantly surprised to find all my treasures in their spots. Then again, they could have been found and replaced, but then I guess I would never know.

My last piece was an empty book. The pages were already darkening and gave the book an aged look. So, I placed the book on the table and started attacking everything I had hidden in its pages. Next to each item I added a few words or memories. Wildflowers from our meadow, the tulip from his rescue attempt in town, pieces of menus from restaurants we ate at, bookmarks used from our reading sessions, and sayings from what have become our favorite books. It took me most of the day, but I was nearly done when a servant fetched me for lunch. After I had eaten I returned and finished the last few pages. The last one was our engagement pictures and promises to come.

"That is lovely, Bella." A soft voice said from behind me. I spun around, surprised to see Esme standing over my shoulder.

"Esme, you scared me." I breathed.

"I'm sorry dear. We were surprised to find the house quiet upon our return, but we quickly realized you were still hear."

"How so?"

"We heard you, your breathing, your heart beat. Plus you've marked this house with your presence, in a good way of course." Esme smiled.

"O well… um…"

"Is that for Edward?" Esme asked.

"It is." I replied.

"It really is quiet lovely." Esme smiled.

"And you will be needing to hide it soon." Alice said as she skipped in. "Hello mother."

"Alice." Esme greeted.

I closed the book and no sooner had my hands left it than Edward ran into the library. He didn't say anything, just stood in the doorway and bowed his head to us.

"Alice, why don't we go catch up?" Esme said, taking her daughter's elbow. They walked out of the library, smiling at Edward as they passed him.

"I thought you were to be waiting for me in your room, as you said. I was disappointed that you were not on your balcony as you always are."

"You were worried, weren't you?" I asked.

"I was." Edward nodded.

"Well you had no need to worry. I was expecting you out longer and was just about to go to my room to wait for you when your mother surprised me." I explained.

"I see. Now, I do distinctly remember you saying you had a surprise for me." Edward said. "Would it perhabs be what you are hiding behind you?"

"It may indeed be." I said shyly.

"Are you going to show it to me?"

"Were you under the impression you got it now?" I asked.

"Indeed I was." Edward replied, stepping closer to me.

"Well I'm sorry, but you are sadly mistaken."

"Am I? Alice had this wonderful vision of me receiving my surprise."

"Did she now? Then you must know what it is already and do not need it." I replied.

"Bella, love, may I have my surprise?" Edward asked.

"Well, I guess if you asked so nicely." I pulled the book in front of me, but kept the cover close to my body.

"A book?"

"A special book."

"What is the title of this book?"

"It has no title, hence the uniqueness."

"Bella?"

"Yes?"

"Stop playing games." Edward said.

I smiled cheekily and held the book out for Edward. He accepted my gift and walked over to one of the chairs. I stood over him and watched him open the front cover. Our names were written in the front of it and he smiled up at me. He continued to flip through the pages, touching each object lovingly and smiling fondly at the memories.

"I suppose these pages at the end are for us to fill in later?"

"They are indeed." I answered.

"I can't wait till it's filled then." Edward said.

"I know it's not as elaborate as the gifts you have offered me, but it was all I could do."

"Bella, it's magnificent. I love it as I love you."

"I love you too." I said.

"Let me guess, you've been up this whole time working on my lovely present and haven't eaten."

"Not true! I ate breakfast as well as lunch and lunch was not that long ago."

"Well then, why don't we take a turn around the gardens? You've been sitting all day, it will be good to get up and walk around."

"You spoil me."

"Well then, I am doing my job." Edward smiled.


	21. Returning To Forks

**A/N**- So here's another chapter and I think I may have 3 or 4 more chapters left. Maybe 4 just to make it a nice clean 25 chapters. Anyway, for those of you who also read my one-shot See You Soon, I am working on making that a full story. So ya, enjoy!

* * *

When we had returned from the gardens, Alice eagerly met us in the hall. She was bouncing with excitement and started talking as soon as we walked in. "Mom and Dad are coming home! Rosalie and Emmett too!"

"This early?" Edward asked.

"Is Dara with them?" I asked.

"Um, no. I just saw them coming home, I didn't see Dara." Alice said.

"Well maybe she's staying with the Denali's a bit longer." Edward said. "She does need to make sure that she has complete control before she comes back."

"Still… I was hoping." I whispered.

"I'm sure she'll be back before you know it." Alice smiled. "Just watch and wait."

"I hope so." I nodded.

"And until then we can start planning everything!"

"Actually Alice, I was thinking that maybe Bella and I would return to Forks. Her father does need to be a small part of the planning."

"Yes, but there's still so much to do."

"Alice, I completely trust you to keep planning the wedding." I said. "How about this evening we work on invitations designs so hopefully we can set a date when we get back."

"Perfect!" Alice smiled. She ran over and grabbed my hand before running off with me. I looked back at Edward helplessly, but all he was doing was smiling. Jasper said something to him and he nodded before they both took off. "Don't worry, he'll be back later tonight so you can fall asleep."

"How did you… never mind."

"O good, you stopped yourself. Now, I've already found some templates that I think would be perfect! Now, were you thinking of a summer wedding? Or a winter? We'll need to get a coat if it'll be for the winter…"

"Alice, shouldn't you be able to tell."

"No because you haven't made up your mind about certain aspect. I can see you flip flopping between your options and it's actually starting to give me a headache."

"How about a fall wedding?" I proposed.

"Hold on…" Alice said. She grasped my arm for a minute before letting go and smiling. "Perfect!"

"Wanna tell me the details?"

"Nope." Alice said, popping the p.

"Fine. Now, let's work on the cards." I said.

For the rest of the night, Alice and I looked through cards, decorations, and different styles for the text. Of course, Alice soon realized a picture of Edward and I would be needed and she started gushing over how we could take the pictures. I tuned out as soon as my dinner came. I figured Alice realized I wasn't paying attention soon enough and started working on everything alone. Really, I just wanted to marry Edward and be happy. I didn't need all the ornate details and big guest list, I just needed Edward. I was still nodding at appropriate times when Edward and Jasper finally returned. They must have gone to feed because Edward's eyes were a bright gold. While Edward was looking at me, I noticed he was grinning at Alice. Without saying a word, Edward came over and picked me up. I instantly wrapped my arms around his neck and held on tight as he ran us up to his room.

"So, am I staying in here now?" I asked.

"We're getting married, I don't see why not." Edward grinned. "Plus, I would feel bad if the bed never had someone sleeping in it."

"Uh huh." I said. "I'm still going to need to go back to my room to change."

"Alice already moved your things in here. By the way, she's annoyed with you since you stopped paying attention. She didn't appreciate having all the work dumped on her."

"O yes, I'm sure she hates having to plan our wedding."

"Just be careful how much freedom you give her. Before you know it we'll be married in front of the Volturi."

"The Volturi?"

"They're the governing body of the vampires. They make sure no one breaks any rules or exposes what we are to humans."

"Really? What would they do if they knew about me?"

"I don't want to think about it. The Volturi aren't exactly known for their kindness." Edward sighed.

"They would kill me…"

"They won't learn about our arrangement, don't worry." Edward said, pulling me into him tightly and kissed the top of my head. "If something did happen to you… I wouldn't know what to do with myself. I'd probably offer myself up to the Volturi, forcing them in someway to kill me."

"Edward, no. Nothing's going to happen to me and you aren't going to kill yourself."

"Bella… I can't live without you now that I've had you."

"Yes you can." I insisted. "Anyway, there's one easy way to get over that fear…"

"No, I am not changing you."

"Edward, Alice has already seen it."

"She has?"

"I don't know, but hopefully." I sighed.

"Bella, go to sleep, we'll be heading back to Forks early in the morning." Edward said.

"But…"

"I know, this conversation is not over."

"Well at least you can grasp that fact." I sighed. I got up from the bed and found a shift to change into before walking into Edward's bathroom and changing. When I walked back out, Edward had his eyes closed and had his head tilted slightly back. I could tell something was probably bothering him, probably me asking him to change me still, so I crawled into bed and curled into his side. I rested my head on his chest and sighed happily. Edward's arms dropped around me, securing me at his side.

"I love you Bella." Edward whispered.

"I love you too." I mumbled before falling asleep.

oOoOoOo

Edward woke me up early in the morning, letting me know everything was set for us to go and I just needed to get changed. Luckily, Alice already had a dress set out for me so that didn't take too long. As soon as we were seated in the carriage, I fell back to sleep. I didn't wake until later in the morning when the carriage went over a particularly hard bump in the road. Marcel has already prepared some breakfast for me, so as soon as Edward realized I was awake, he handed me the sandwich that had a thick slice of ham and some cheese on it. There was even a bit of hollandaise sauce used as spread of the sandwich. Luckily, I had also woken up a little before noon so my sandwich was also my lunch. The rest of the ride was pleasant, Edward and I read a few books he had packed and talked quietly. Considering most of the trip was spent on roads in the forests, we were able to cuddle without any disgruntled looks from passer-by's.

As evening approached, I was once more becoming tired. Whether it was from all the reading or the boredom that came with long carriage rides, I did not know. Luckily, we made it to my father's home before I passed out on Edward's shoulder again. Charlie was standing on his front steps, smiling proudly at Edward and I as we stepped out of the carriage. He greeted the two of us enthusiastically, giving me a hug and Edward a handshake. Luckily, he recognized how tired we were, or at least I was, and let us escape to my room easily enough. When I had asked where Edward would be staying, Charlie explained in my room since no one is allowed back there and we were practically married. I knew that meant more of an inquisition would be coming in the morning though. Charlie never could fool me…

Edward once more held me all night, but since it was slightly colder in Forks, he made sure to pile more blankets in between us. I wasn't happy about it and complained, but he just rocked be back and forth and I eventually fell asleep. He's not always going to get what he wants. One of these days I would get my way and it would be big…

The next morning, I woke up bundled in my cocoon of blankets. I looked around my room for Edward, but he wasn't there. I unwrapped myself and switched into one of my plain, comfortable dress. I fixed my hair and splashed water on my face before walking out of my room. I walked out to the front of the house to find Edward and Charlie sitting there and talking civilly. I watched for a bit, but Edward caught my eye and I knew I had been caught.

"Good morning Dad." I said walking past Charlie.

"Good morning, Bells." Charlie replied.

"Good morning." I whispered to Edward.

"Good morning." Edward replied. He slipped from his chair and let me sit down.

"What have you two been talking about."

"Laws and political policies." Charlie said proudly.

"Finally have someone smart enough to challenge your opinion?" I asked Charlie.

"Actually, your father's opinions and understanding of the law is quite similar to mine. I like the way he handles the Forks and believes that some of his policies should be incorporated in Blythe and other towns."

"You're just blowing his ego up." I sighed. "We're never going to hear the end of it."

"Well it's about time someone sees this town is being run right." Charlie muttered. "It's nice to be appreciated every once in a while."

"You're appreciated every day." I said with a smile.

"Well, I need to get going. You two have fun today." Charlie said.

We watched as Charlie got up and found his weapons belt before heading out the door. He was actually whistling as he left, I've never seen him so content. I looked at Edward curiously and he just smiled and shrugged. "What would you like for breakfast?"

"You're going to cook?" I asked.

"I was planning on it."

"Do you even know how?" I asked.

"Well, um… no." Edward sighed.

"Sit, I'll make my breakfast and then we can walk to the inn and see how Mallory and Chef are doing."

"Sounds like a plan to me, but Alice wanted you to wear a specific dress."

"Which one?" I asked. Alice had packed so many dresses for me while I had been asleep.

"Uh… the gold one?" Edward shrugged.

"I'll figure it out." I said.

I quickly cooked myself some eggs and toast and ate it with Edward. He crinkled his nose when I scooped some of the broken yoke onto the toast and shoved it into my mouth. When I was done, I went back to my room and dug through the dresses Alice had packed. I finally found the gold dress that Alice was talking about. It was simple with just gold cloth draped to flow down my body. There was a yellow ribbon under my breasts and a yellow coat to cover my bare arms. There was a note attached saying it was starting to become the rage to show more and more skin. I put the dress on and put my hair up with a ribbon that was attached. When I was ready, I walked out to meet Edward in the foyer.

"You look… are you sure you should go out in that?"

"Always follow Alice's orders, right?"

"Alice does know best. Just tell me there's a coat." Edward said.

"Yes." I said, holding it up.

"I'm still not sure if I want you outside in that." Edward said as he placed my coat on. His hands lingered on my bare shoulders for a bit, causing me to break out in shivers.

"Edward, we need to get going to the Inn." I reminded him quietly.

"Yes, of course." Edward said. He offered his arm to me and I accepted it. We left the house and walked down the side of the road. I whispered to Edward about some of the people I had grown up with and told him various stories when certain homes or building reminded me of them. Edward laughed at most of them, enjoying that fact I was finally sharing some of my background. Walking into the main part of town, I realized everyone was out today and everyone was going to see me in this dress.

"I think we should have remained at home… or worn something that didn't stand out as much."

"You look amazing and they're all jealous. I bet that girl going into the dress store is ordering a copy of your dress now."

"What, did Alice tell you that?"

"She mentioned this was the new rage and to tell you that when you started to act self conscious." Edward shrugged. I groaned and knew that Edward wasn't going to let me home anymore.

We continued walking down the streets. I smiled at a few of the people, but most of them just looked at me surprised. A few of the old men were happy to smile and say hello, a few even shaking Edward's hand. Almost all of the older woman looked at me with disdain in all of their high collar dresses. I just moved passed them, using some of the confidence that I had fostered since living with the Cullens. We were almost to the inn when Mike stepped in front of us. I heard Edward growl quietly and his arm wrapped around my waist instead of just cradling my arm.

"Bella, you look… wow. Is this the latest trend?"

"It is." I nodded.

"Well, you look beautiful. So why are you back? Going to drop the wedding plans? You know you were always a small town girl, I don't know why you think you'd ever make it out of the real world."

"Mike!" I gasped.

Before I could react, Edward had let me go and had pinned Mike on the wall of the closest building. "I would watch what you say, Newton. Bella is stronger than you or any of your fan club ever could be. She's fitting in perfect in a society that you and most of the people here will never even taste. Now, why don't you apologize to Bella so we can move on. I'd appreciate it if you also tell… what were there names? Ah yes, Lauren and Jessica. Pass on the message, would you?"

"Yes." Mike squeeked.

"Good man." Edward muttered, patting some Mike's shoulders. Straitening his own shirt, Edward returned to my side and took my arm once more. We finished the walk to the inn. This time, we had a pleasant greeting from Mallory and Chef.

"Bella! Edward, you are back!" Mallory said. She ran over and gave me a hug.

"Have you been eating?" Chef asked. "You look skinnier!"

"Trust me, I've been eating." I said. "In fact, the Cullen's chef, Marcel, will be cooking for the wedding."

Chef's face instantly fell and I knew my little joke was going to be mean, but so worth it. "I see…"

"However, we knew that your tastes would also be spectacular so we were hoping if you would help as well."

"Really?"

"Really." I replied.

"We believe that merging your and Marcel's style would create a perfect mixture in the food, reflecting the wedding's overall theme."

"You're having a mixed wedding? What are you mixing?" Mallory asked.

"Our backgrounds. The wedding will be in the fall and it will have people from here and of the Cullen's friends there. It will be a mix leading to a great ending."

"Yes, the end results are definitely beautiful." Mallory said. "So, do you have a date then?"

"No, not quite yet. We're still finalizing some of the rest of the family's plans and then we'll send out wedding announcements."

"Well then, you'll keep us updated?"

"Of course!" I replied.

"Bella!" I turned around when my name was called. Dara's mother and father were standing at the door of the inn. Dara's mother ran over and wrapped me into a hug while her husband took his time walking over.

"O we've missed you. You left too soon."

"I know, I know."

"You must be Edward, I don't believe we have met." Dara's father said.

"I'm sorry for not introducing myself sooner. I'm Edward Cullen, Bella's fiancé."

"Yes, we know all that. Now, I know Charlie has already talked to you and has approved of you, but Bella's like a daughter to me, especially since we've lost Dara."

"Yes, I'm sorry to hear about that." Edward said. "I know how torn up Bella was and I couldn't imagine how it was for you."

"Yes, well, we know wherever she is, she's happy and now that Bella's found you, so is she." Dara's mother said.

I smiled fondly at the site of Edward and my second family bonding. Dara's parents meant a lot to me and to see them approve of Edward, it was like seeing my dad approve of him all over again. I smiled at Edward when he walked back over and wrapped me in his arms.

"So, how long are you back?" Mallory asked.

"We aren't sure. A few days at least." I said.

"And you're staying with your dad?"

"Yup."

"Why don't you stay here? I haven't changed your room or anything. Plus, you'll have more freedom being away from your Dad."

"Mallory… I don't know."

"Don't try to claim your father doesn't have you in the same room. You know he's not too tight lipped after a few drinks."

"How many people did he tell?" I groaned.

"Just a few of us. It was when we were over for dinner last night." Dara's mom said.

"Good, I don't need anymore rumors being spawned from Jessica and her friends."

"Don't worry about that." Mallory said. "The town's really turned against them since you've left. They've turned against themselves actually! Since you left and they didn't have anyone to pick on, they started picking on each other. Their reputations have gone down in flames!"

"Yes, and you aren't enjoying this at all." I said.

"No, not at all." Mallory left.

Edward and I spent the rest of the morning and most of the afternoon at the inn. We caught up with Mallory, well I caught up with Mallory while Edward acted as though he was resting. We sat in a booth so Mallory never say his hand traveling up and down my back. As the sun began to set, I knew we needed to head home since I was planning on cooking dinner for Charlie. Edward was going to claim he had some business to take care of, but he really was going to go feed. As we left the inn, I saw Lauren on one side of the street and Jessica on the other. They were both sneering at each other, but when they saw Edward and I walk down the street, well their mouths dropped quickly before they stuck their chins in the air and turned around. I saw Jared standing with Jessica and could tell he was in pain. Unfortunately, Jessica would probably be the best he could get unless he left Forks for good, and I certainly wouldn't blame him if he did.

That night, I made Charlie some steaks that I had picked up on the way home. Edward excused himself; taking his "plate" with him to the study Charlie had offered him. While Charlie was busy getting ready for dinner, I looked out the window to see Edward escaping into the forest. He smiled back once more at me and then disappeared in the foliage. Dinner with Charlie was a quiet affair, although he did try to understand some of the wedding plans. I kept it simple and brief since I knew he really didn't care.

oOoOoOo

The next few days in Forks were calming and relaxing. Alice wasn't there to constantly bug Edward and I about the wedding, although we both knew we would have more to get done when we got back to the Cullen's Manor. We had one run in with Lauren and she sneered and made a few snide remarks, but with Edward standing next to me, I brushed by her. I knew she was stunned that I would and probably became even more furious when Edward bent down and kissed my head. We made sure our public displays of affections were kept to a minimum, but when we were home without Charlie, we did act like teenagers to an extent. Edward would always stop though and take a breather in order to calm down his instincts. Unfortunately, as soon as he had calmed down, Charlie was home and we were forced to act polite and civil once more. The last morning, Mallory and Dara's parents came over for an early breakfast. Mallory and I cooked it together while everyone else talked about whatever came to mind. The coachmen arrived and took our things and we said our goodbyes to everyone. With promises of wedding invitations in the mail, Edward and I left.

We were halfway home, when I noticed the coach going a different direction. I looked at Edward quizzically and he smiled. "I've seen where you grew up, now I want you to see where I grew up."

"Really?"

"Bella, my family wasn't that bad off. We just didn't have manors and what not."

"So you kept your childhood home?"

"I did. I might have expanded on it and bought the manor that was on the land, but when I visit, I always stay in the small house my parents raised me in."

"I'm excited to see it." I said with a smile, leaning up and kissing Edward softly.

"You might want to go to sleep, we have quite some time until we get there. In fact, we have just over a full day."

"Dear lord, my butt's going to be sore then." I moaned. Edward laughed before picking me and repositioning me so I was sitting on his lap. He bent down and kissed me softly before I moved just a bit more until I was in a more comfortable position.


	22. Edward's Home

**A/N**- So ir ecently changed this story to T, hoping more people would read and review it. I also didn't feel like writing the "M" sections. So, to my new readers, please enjoy and also check out Kissing Death which is the sister story for Flirting Death. Enjoy!

* * *

Edward woke me up from second long nap. The sun was just sinking below the horizon and was sending startling reds and yellows through the sky. I stretched against him, grinning as I felt him grow low in his throat and tighten his hold around me. He whispered "minx" in my ear before loosening his grip so I could sit up and look proper. After making sure my hair looked somewhat good, I looked out the window. I was surprised to find the carriage rolling through a town.

"Where are we?"

"Tranton." Edward said. "I grew up close to here, but considering how long we've been traveling, I've made arrangements to stay in a hotel."

"How did you set this all up? I've actually been wondering that. How did my dad know we were coming and how have you made hotel arrangements?"

"First, hotels are not that hard to get rooms in. Second, not to many people roll into Forks in a carriage. And third, Alice has been helping. She's been sending letters out." Edward explained.

"Figures… I really should have guessed that." I sighed.

"It's alright, it's fun surprising you."

"Even though I hate surprises."

"You don't truly hate them. Anyway, you surprise me everyday."

"How do I surprise you everyday? I'm pretty easy to figure out."

"Actually, you aren't. Some new characteristic or fun little quarks. It's nice not being able to know what you're thinking and know what you are about to do." Edward said.

"Hm, you make me sound more interesting than I am… I like it." I smiled.

"You just need to see yourself for who you really are." Edward said.

The carriage lurched to a stop and Edward slid out before helping me down. There were still quite a few people bustling around Tranton in the early evening, getting the last of their errands done. No one paid us any attention and I even saw a few people in the dress styles Alice had been getting me to wear. Edward escorted me into the hotel where he went over to the desk and checked us in. As soon as he was given the key, he took my hand and walked us up to our room. One of the carriage-men brought our things in before once more leaving and staying wherever it was arranged. Edward watched me as I walked around the room. It was definitely made for those travelers with more money, unlike the Running Horse Inn, but I could tell it wasn't as warm as the inn. We spent the night with light talk and sitting together on the couch. There was a knock on the door and Edward told me to go answer it. I opened it to find a bellboy there with a rolling cart with food.

"Here's the food you ordered, or well, your husband ordered, Mrs. Cullen." The boy said.

"Thank you." I answered. Edward walked up behind me and handed the boy the money with a handsome tip. When the young man saw how much he was given his face lit up and he thanked Edward enthusiastically.

"Mrs. Cullen?" I asked after the bellboy left.

"I thought it was appropriate." Edward shrugged. He rolled the food deeper into the room before opening the lid and revealing chicken and rice on one plate. The other two he kept covered and hidden from me. I ate my chicken slowly, savoring each bite. When I was done, Edward revealed the other dishes. Chocolate covered strawberries and bananas with whip cream and a few small eclaires. My mouth began watering instantly and my stomach instantly emptied. Edward picked up one of the strawberries and brought it over to my lips. I opened and let Edward slip the fruit into my room, bringing my hand up to catch the juice that ran down my cheek.

"These are really good." I said with my mouth slightly full.

Edward just watched me as I finished chewing the fruit. His eyes were beginning to darken and I smiled up at him.

"I really wish you could try some of these…"

Still, Edward remained silent, feeding me a piece of the banana now. We spent the rest of the evening trying pieces of the rest of the fruits; well I tried all the fruits. Edward restrained himself the whole night, only allowing a few quick kisses and fleeting touches. I eventually had to stop eating and while it was heartbreaking to see all the fruit going to waste. After eating, I curled up next to Edward on bed and quickly fell asleep.

oOoOoOo

Mason Manor was just as magnificent as the Cullen's. The manor had large white pillars in the front creating a porch. Ivy was crawling over all of the pillars and walls, giving the manor and ancient yet romantic look. Edward and I were greeted by a handful of servants, all of whom seemed eager to meet me. As we walked in, the head butler walked up and handed Edward two letters. Edward thanked him then looked at the names before handing one to me.

"Would you like to read these or would you like to take a tour first?"

"Why don't we take that tour and then after that we can read our letters." I said.

Edward led me through the first floor, pointing out the two-story library, parlor, sitting rooms, and large ballroom. On the second floor were a few bedrooms, bathrooms, a study, the library's second floor, and a long hallway with pictures on one side and windows on the other. The first few pictures were of a man and woman in their wedding garb. Walking down, there were a few more just of them and in all of the pictures the two subjects had so much love in their eyes. Eventually a young boy appeared and as he got bigger, I realized it was Edward. Edward explained that people were his parents and when he acquired the house he had a few portraits repainted and enlarged. The third floor had a nursery, a master suite, a few more rooms, and a large study with two desks.

"My parents were never apart and I knew if this was their home, they would have their desks together." Edward explained.

"Edward, I love how you've kept their memory alive. I'm sure they would have loved it."

"Thank you." Edward said quietly.

"Now, weren't you going to show me your childhood home? You said you didn't actually live here…"

"We'll go when the sun is setting. It's a bit better."

We continued walking around the house, where I was surprised that it actually had the ocean about 200 yards away. There was no smooth sloping beach, but instead cliffs that dropped into the water. Edward instantly warned me from walking over there, explaining that there had been more than one accident at the cliffs and none had happy endings. I nodded, heading Edward's warning. Once we had completely covered the house, which took a good amount of time, Edward and I returned to his study. He handed me my letter and I sat down and opened it. I instantly recognized Dara's script and read, eager for good news.

_Bella_

_I wish I could write you with good news telling you that I'm almost ready to come back for your wedding. Unfortunately that is not the case. I've discovered a love for the hunt and the taste for human blood. Carlisle is letting me live with my choice and has called an old friend of ours in order to help, Laurent. We are leaving for one of James' other properties so we don't draw suspicion to the Denali's. He is going to teach me how to hide what I am and cover what I've done in order to keep the humans naïve. After that, he is going to train me to become accustomed to being around humans while not wanting to drink from every one. As my final test, Laurent will have me enter a crowd and act human. After that, I should be ready to come to the wedding._

_However, I don't want you to wait for me to have the wedding. I don't know if this process will take longer than the other or not, but I will continue to update you. Just please, set a wedding date. Let me know in case some miracle happens and I can be there._

_Love Always,_

_Dara_

I didn't know how to react to the letter. It sounded like Dara was finding her way to being happy, even if it wasn't how the Cullens were happy. I didn't know if this meant that Dara wouldn't be coming to the wedding at all, especially since she told me to set a date, or if it would just take longer. How would Edward accept this news? It would mean dealing with Laurent and James more and that would probably just irritate him. And what about the other Cullens? Would they still accept Dara?

"Now would be a time that I would like to know what you are thinking." Edward said. He walked over and squeezed my shoulders.

"Dara's decided to not follow your diet. Your father has called Laurent and he's currently teaching her how to control her thirst."

"Alice told me in her letter." Edward said quietly.

"What does she see?" I asked.

"She said that the two of you will still be close and that we shouldn't worry."

"That's vague." I sighed.

"She also said to set a date and everything will work out right." Edward said.

"Right." I whispered. I reread the letter before setting it down and looking out the window. "Well, when do you want the wedding?"

"You're really going to go ahead and set the date?" Edward asked.

"Never bet against Alice right?"

"Right."

"Well, if she says that we should set a date because everything will work out, then we'll set a date."

"Alright, well, you said a fall wedding, so when do you want it?"

"How about an October wedding?"

"A Halloween wedding?"

"No, not necessarily. How about October 23rd?" I asked.

"What theme do you want?"

"Fall, definitely. Oranges and browns, maybe on the tables we have semi-bare branches with a few leaves still on them. Then the tables could be white cloth with range and brown embellishments and a few leaves sprinkled on them, fake of course."

"It sounds as though you already had this all planned out."

"I've been thinking about it." I admitted. "Hey, it's close to sunset, shouldn't we head over to your childhood home now?"

"Ya, it would be a perfect timing." Edward said. He took my hand and helped me from my chair before escorting me out of the house. The servants all ducked out of the way as we passed, becoming invisible in the halls. It was as though Edward and I were the only ones in the house.

We left the main house and walked down a cobblestone path. We passed a garden off to our left and rolling green hills to our right. We eventually walked over one of those hills and were greeted by a small cottage. If the main house was covered in ivy, this one was built with ivy. Yet this ivy had flowers blooming and roses at its base. The house was just so… homey. Edward took me by the hand and pulled me along the stone path, through a garden of wildflowers and up to the door. He took out a key and pushed the door open, inviting me in. The house had a small foyer before breaking into a kitchen to the left, a sitting room to the right, and a hallway right ahead. Once I had stepped through, Edward closed the door and pulled me through the kitchen.

"My mother cooked every meal in here. We never went to the main house or any other house for food. I remember watching my mother and cook, but unfortunately, since I don't like food anymore, I can't imagine how it tastes."

"I'm sure it was wonderful." I said. I rubbed Edward's hand up and down his arm before we walked into the next room. There was a large dining table in the center of the next room. There were no decorations on the table, nor any places were set. I looked back into the kitchen and realized that too looked lifeless.

"We would all eat together here." Edward said. We walked back out to the hall and into the study and sitting worm, where Edward told me about the times when he was younger and still spent all his time with his parents. After all of the family rooms, Edward showed me his parents room and then his room. His bed was still off the corner and there was a small bookshelf half filled with dusty books. There was a small desk next to the bookshelf and I could just imagine a small Edward sitting there learning how to read and write. Of course, the desk was far too small for the man he had grown into. When I walked over to the desk I noticed EC had been carved into the side.

"I did that one day when I was bored. I didn't want to practice writing and reading because I didn't think anything would come out of this life. I would be resigned to following my father's footsteps as landowner without any title or worth. Without worth, what was the point of life? I was so foolish then."

"You were young, you're supposed to be foolish when you're young." I said.

"I had gotten into a fight with father because I found out we were no better than any of the servants. My mother was actually a servant in the main house during the day. She said it was an honor to serve the mistress there, but I could never believe it. That was one of the few nights that we actually fought."

"Every family has its fights, I'm sure they forgave you as you forgave them."

"Yes, we did. We moved on when my father explained that life was worth living because he had my mother and I."

"I believe I like the sound of your father and mother." I said.

"I wish you could have met them, they would have loved you." Edward sighed.

"And I would have loved them. I would love anyone you loved." I replied

"Have I told you I loved you today." Edward whispered in my ear.

"Hm… no, I don't think you have." I teased.

"Well then, my lady, I love you." Edward said, kissing my neck.

"I love you too." I replied quietly. "Is your bed still comfortable?"

"I believe so, why?" Edward asked.

"Why don't we spend the night here?" I asked. "I could sleep in your bed and it'll be easier for you to sneak in and out in order to hunt."

"I… I believe that sounds like a magnificent idea." Edward said. "Why don't we go back to the main house to get you something to eat and then we'll come back, find a book from father's study, and then settle in for the night."

"That sounds perfect." I said.

oOoOoOo

We spent a few more days at Mason Manor before deciding to head back to the Cullen's Manor. During the last day, Edward took care of a little bit of business she had left before heading back home. I spent the day walking the gardens and looking through the library. I found some time to write Dara a return letter. Hopefully Alice or Rosalie will know where to send it. That night we returned to Edward's childhood house so he could hunt. We then returned to the manor for breakfasts and to keep appearances before heading home.


	23. Wedding Day

**A/N**- So I have officially finished this story. No, this isn't the last chapter, but I can tell you for certain that there are only 2 more chapters left. So enjoy!

Also, the link to a picture of Bella's wedding dress is on my profile in case you wanted to see it.

* * *

The leaves had started changing colors and were slowly falling from the trees. I sat at my window watching as some of the Cullen's grounds keepers raked those that had already fallen to the ground. Some of the Cullens' friends were already arriving and would be coming to Forks the morning of the wedding, which was less than three days away. My dress was hanging in my closet and Alice had assured me Edward and the groomsmen had their suits cleaned and pressed. Alice had taken care of the bridesmaids' dresses and so I knew there would be nothing wrong. The only thing I really have to deal with was the food since Edward nor his family could try any of it. Chef and Marcel instantly connected and ushered everyone out of the kitchen as they started to through ideas around. The tables, chairs, tents and everything else needed for the reception were ready to go as well. The ceremony and a small reception were to take place in Forks, but a bigger celebration was planned for two days later back at the Cullen's home.

"Bella, are you ready to go?" Alice asked as she stepped in.

"Any word from Dara?" I asked. I had sent Dara letters asking if she would be ready to return by the time of the wedding. Unfortunately, I hadn't heard anything and Alice had told me she hadn't seen anything with Dara in it. I'd even tried to use shopping against Alice to make sure she wasn't hiding anything, but she continued to claim she didn't see here.

"Sorry, but no." Alice sighed. "And no word from Laurent either."

"Alright."

"So are you ready? You're getting married in a few days! We need to get you going by the way. None of us trust you or Edward to try and sneak in to see each other before the wedding."

"We're allowed to see each other up until the day before the wedding." I said.

"O, I know and that's why you get to say goodbye to him." Alice explained. "Now hurry up, everything has been packed, and now we're just waiting for you."

"We? Who's all coming?"

"I knew you weren't paying attention!" Alice exclaimed.

"I'm sorry, but there's been a lot going on."

"I guess I can forgive you since that's true…" Alice sighed. "Well, Esme and Rose and I will be traveling to Forks with you."

"Ok." I said.

"Then Edward and the boys will be coming in the morning of the wedding, as well as some of our friends. Then we'll have the reception and returning here. We'll have the main party here since we don't have to hide what we are here, but then again I'm not expecting you or Edward to be here for that."

"What? Why not?"

"Your honeymoon, duh." Alice said.

"O ya… Edward won't tell me where we're going." I said.

"I know, he wants to surprise you and trust me, you'll be surprised." Alice smiled. "So, are you ready? Edward is waiting down stairs with everyone else. Plus some of the guests want to meet you before you leave."

"Joy." I sighed. I got up from my spot and walked with Alice down the stairs. There was a large group of people waiting for us downstairs, and unfortunately the Cullens were the only recognizable ones. Edward met me at the bottom of the stairs, taking my hand as soon as I was within each. He pulled me into him and kissed me gently on the top of my head.

"There are some people who wanted to meet you." Edward whispered in my ear.

"Alice told me." I replied.

Edward led me into the group of strangers and started introducing me to everyone. There was Zafrina, Senna, and Kachiri were from the Amazon, and Tia, Amun, Benjamin, and Kebi were from Egypt and I could tell that Amun did not like me all that much. In fact, he kept his mate Tia and their youngest coven member Benjamin quite guarded. Where others were shaking my hand or giving me hugs, Amun simply glared at me. Alistair, Charles, and Makenna were nomads from England and close friends of Carlisle. Siobhan, Liam, and Maggie were from Ireland, and like Amun, Siobhan was insanely protective over his two coven mates. Finally there were the Denali's, the ones who Rosalie and Emmett had taken Dara to. Garrett, Kate, Irina, Carmen, and Eleazar were all friendly and seemed curious to meet me, not that the others weren't. However, their sister Tanya glared at my slightly and her greeting was tense, much like Rosalie's had been when we first met. She started questioning me and acted as though none of my answers were worthy of her, but Edward growled at her and told her to knock it off and "stop dreaming". I made a mental not to ask him or Alice about that when we were alone.

As soon as introductions were made, Carlisle invited his guests to join them on a hunt. Most of the guests agreed, leaving just the Cullens to stay. Edward was holding onto my waist as we watched the carriage get packed.

"Edward, what was with Tanya? Why was she so hostile?"

"Tanya has always entertained fantasies of the two of us together. I've never encouraged nor condoned them, but still she always hoped. Now that I have you, she's slowly realizing her dreams won't ever come true, not they would have. She's in denial now, but she'll get over it soon enough."

"You two were never together? Really?" I asked.

"Is that so hard to believe?" Edward asked.

"It's just that you two are so beautiful and I'm sure you'd make a beautiful couple." I sighed.

"Only if you're looking through society's eyes, not our eyes or those of our family and friends, not if you look through the eyes of love." Edward said. "You know I don't care what other think, and I definitely know what others think."

"If you say so." I said.

"I don't say so, I know so." Edward said. "Anyway, you're the one I'm marrying in three days, not her. You're the one I love, not her."

"Hm… not that I know." I said with a smile. I stood on my toes and kissed Edward, putting all of my feelings into the kiss. He responded just as strongly.

"Ok, break it up you two before I have to get Emmett to force you apart." Alice hissed. Edward growled in annoyance, but I just laughed and hid my face in his shirt. "Bella, we're ready to go."

"Already?" I pouted.

"Yes. Don't worry, you'll see Edward soon enough. Now come on." Alice yanked me out of Edward's arm quickly, before Edward could strengthen his grip. She stuck her tongue out at Edward who was mirroring my pout, and continued to lead me into the carriage. Alice was seated next to me, and Rosalie and Esme were seated on the opposite side. I watched Edward, Jasper, and Emmett disappear as we pulled away from the manor and towards Forks.

Two days… I had two days before I'd be Mrs. Edward Cullen.

oOoOoOo

The night before my wedding, Alice and Rosalie took me to the inn where most of the women from Forks were. Mallory flipped the sign on the door to closed and drinks immediately started pouring. I didn't really know what was going on with it, but everyone was having fun and congratulating me so I went along with it. Alice and Rose didn't drink anything, but acted as they were. They also made sure that I didn't drink too much considering I had to get up early and get ready for my wedding. Everyone else though, they were all completely drunk and stumbling around. I was laughing with Alice, Rose, and Mallory of Lauren and Jessica's stupid antics when the door to the inn opened. Everyone stopped and looked over. There was a woman there with straight black hair, pail skin, and deep red eyes.

"Excuse me, this is a private party!" Mallory said.

"I believe I'm invited, I am, afterall, a bridesmaid." The woman said.

I looked at her closer and that's when I noticed the resemblance.

"Dara…" I whispered.

"I'm Debbie Winters." Dara said. She walked over and gave me a hug, which I eagerly accepted and returned. "Bella and I have been friends since she moved in with the Cullens."

"We've never heard of you." Lauren muttered

"Yes, I like it that way." Dara replied. "Anyway, how much does Bella actually talk to you? I know I would only speak a word to you if I was forced."

Lauren and Jessica's jaws dropped and I laughed since I realized that it was Dara and no one else did. I noticed Mallory scrutinizing Dara and hoped that she didn't recognize her. Luckily, Mallory shook it off and probably blamed it on the alcohol. Alice looked over at me and nodded, assuring me that no one would recognize Dara that night.

"I didn't think you were coming." I said.

"I wanted it to be a surprise. I've had a master coach though who made sure that I would be here for your big day."

"Laurent?" I assumed.

"James. We talked and we're back together." Dara smiled happily. "We've been happy ever since."

"Well, I'm happy you two have gotten back together. Everyone could tell you two were in love and this was just a phase." I said. "Alice, have you made plans for Dar… I mean Debbie?"

"I have, don't worry." Alice smiled. "She has a dress and everything."

"I swore her to secrecy and a very lucrative shopping trip if she kept the secret, but I did only tell her a few weeks ago."

"I knew that before though and had everything ready. By the way, I found the purse I want, and the matching dress and shoes."

"I knew you would." Dara smiled.

"So is James here?" I asked.

"He is still in Ruthridge, but he'll be here tomorrow and in a disguise so no one recognizes him either."

"What about Laurent?" Rosalie asked.

"O, like I forced him to come." Dara smiled as Rosalie.

"Good, Irina has a date then. She hasn't been telling us anything." Alice muttered. "Alright girls, enough chit chat, back to the party!"

For the rest of the night, the party remained upbeat and fun. All the humans got completely drunk with the vampires and I had a good laugh at their expense. We made sure everyone got home alright before heading back to the Inn and upstairs, where I would be stationed before walking down the isle. As I got ready for bed, I heard stones being thrown at my window. I looked out, hopping for Edward, but unfortunately, it was Jake.

"What?" I hissed.

"Come out and talk with me."

"Why should I?"

"This will be the last time, I think." Jake said. I rolled my eyes and thought about it for a second before nodding. I slipped on my robe and walked out of my room, not really surprised to see Alice there.

"Make it quick. It will be the last time any of us see him and his kind."

"Thank you Alice." She just nodded and returned back to her room.

I slipped the rest of the way undetected and found Jake to the side of the inn. "What do you want?" I asked.

"I have to ask, are you sure you want to marry the leach?"

"Don't you dare call him a leach." I hissed. "He's the gentlest, kindest, most caring man I've ever met and I'm truly in love with him."

"That's because you never gave me a chance! Bella, give me a chance!"

"I'm getting married tomorrow to the man I love and you want me to give you a chance? No Jake, I won't give you a chance."

"I had to try." Jake whispered, obviously defeated.

"Goodbye Jake, don't cause too much trouble." I said before walking inside. I watched from inside the inn as Jake shrugged into his wolf form and dashed into the woods.

"You know, he smells absolutely disgusting." Dara said as she walked up behind me. "Edward will now just because that stink lingers."

"And I'm sure Alice will take care of it." I added.

"Shouldn't you be in bed?" Dara asked.

"Shouldn't you be in something more comfortable?"

"I went to go see Mom and Dad." Dara whispered. "I just needed to check in with them."

"Of course." I said. We walked up to my room before hugging and separating for the night.

oOoOoOo

The day had finally come. I'd be Mrs. Edward Cullen in a few hours and I could feel the butterflies in my stomach begin to wake up. It wasn't because I was nervous to become Edward's wife, it was because I'd be the center of attention. Alice, Rosalie, and Dara helped me slip into my wedding dress after they had gotten in their bridesmaid dresses. Alice did my make up as Rosalie worked on my hair. Dara poured me a bottle of champagne to calm me down a bit. Alice nearly smacked it away from me, but I was able to get a few sips in without ruining my lipsticks. The bubbles covered my nerves and let me relax as Alice put on my veil and proclaimed that I was ready. I was checking myself over in the mirror, patting away invisible wrinkles, when someone knocked on the door. Jasper stood there, back straight and a pained expression on his face.

"We're ready." He said.

"I know, we're coming." Alice said as she skipped over to him. "Although, I believe Charlie wants to talk to Bella first." Just like Alice said, Charlie walked in through the open door. Everyone left, giving us the privacy we needed.

"You know, I was originally worried about this day."

"How so?" I asked.

"I thought you'd be forced to settle down with one of the young men from Forks and I knew that wasn't for you. I always wanted you to escape Forks, but I just didn't know how to get you out and into the real world. Forks was never right for you."

"Dad, Forks has been great." I said.

"I know, but it hasn't been right. When Edward arrived and you two were instantly attracted to each other, I knew this was your chance. Especially when you fell so deeply in love with him, I knew your life was going to change for the better, so much for the better. I'm proud of you, Bells, never forget that."

"I won't Dad, I love you." I said, hugging Charlie.

"I love you to." He said, returning the hug.

Charlie wiped the corner of his eyes, trying to hide the tears. He offered me his arm and I took it. We walked out of my room, down the stairs, and out of the inn. Just down the street and off to the side in a wide field, chairs and an alter had been placed. As we turned to walk down the isle, I looked up to see Edward. The sky was foggy so he was safe from sparkling, as well as the other vampires. Edward was beautiful though. His golden eyes holding me captive, pulling me towards him. Charlie had to hold me back from rushing the wedding march and running into Edward's arms. He handed me off when we eventually made it to the alter. Carlisle presided over the union, considering his lordly title and the fact he was a minister before he was turned.

"Today we have gathered in order to celebrate the joining of Lord Edward Cullen and Miss Isabella Swan. There meeting was unexpected, but since then, it has become no surprise that we have gathered here for the union. Bella has brought life back to Edward and Edward has brought live to Bella. All who have been privileged to see these two together know how strong the love they feel for each other truly is. To get the official business over with, is there anyone who would reject to this union?" The field was deathly quiet and I knew behind me, Alice and Dara were promising death to Lauren and Jessica if they tried anything. "Perfect, the couple has decided to recite their own vows. Edward…"

"Bella, since the first time I'd met you I knew you were special. I was scared and didn't know what to do, but I knew that I had to be with you. I knew I had to be the one there to protect you from anything and everything, I had to be the one you came running to excited and sad, I just had to be the one. Bella, since you've come into my life, I've started living again, something I never thought I was possible. I never thought I deserved an angle, but I was blessed with one and no matter what, I will cherish you for the rest of time." Jasper handed Edward a ring and with a quiet "I love you", Edward slipped the platinum band with a medium sized diamond on my finger. He kissed it before bringing my hand back down and letting Carlisle continue the ceremony.

"Bella…" Carlisle said. I took a deep breath and calmed my shaky breath.

"Edward, you came into my life and I didn't know what to think. You were this mysterious man who had arrived for a meeting, but ended up steeling my heart and taking it with you when you left. I never believed in love at first sight, but when you came and protected me that first night, I was in love and you had changed my life. As much as I loved the quiet of Forks, I love you and I love anywhere you are. I thought I was alive before, but now I know I truly wasn't. It wasn't till you that I started living. I love you Edward and I will till the end of time." Alice stepped up behind me and handed me Edward's ring. It was a thick platinum band. I copied Edward's actions and brought his hand up, kissing the band on the tips of his fingers gingerly.

"Well, I believe both of those declarations only scratch the amount of love these two people share for each other. Edward, you may kiss your bride."

Edward wasted no time and pulled me into him, kissing me hard. I molded myself to his body and wrapped my arms around his neck. Edward somehow made the kiss deep and full of passion while making sure it looked innocent enough. Before either of us took it farther, we took a half step back. Still smiling, Carlisle made the best announcement of all.

"May I now introduce for the first time, Mr. and Mrs. Edward Cullen!"


	24. Honeymoon and A New Life

**A/N**- So here's a longer chapter for you. Hope you all enjoy it. This is where the story and the books come together so I'l say it again... SM owns the characters and all the original twilight stuff...

* * *

The reception had been small, but quite an affair. Pretty much all of Forks was there, but the Cullen's friends left and would be having their own reception party the next day. Alice mentioned that they would be having a hunting party before partying the night away back at the Manor. When I asked Edward if he needed to hunt he had explained that he did before the wedding so he had time. We spent the night dancing and talking with everyone. Everyone came up to our table and congratulated us, even Mike, Lauren, and Jessica although I was sure it was due to custom. Alice had made a toast as my maid of honor and Emmett made Edward's. Emmett's was hilarious, as expected, while Alice's was light hearted and a bit more sincere. For our first dance, I was a bit nervous. I was still clumsy and although Edward had been teaching me how to dance, I really didn't trust myself. Still, he wrapped an arm around my waist and lifted me up slightly so that my feet were resting on his. Alice had made sure my dress was long enough so that no one would be any wiser.

"Are you happy?" Edward whispered into my ear.

"How could you ask me that?" I asked, mocking surprise and hurt. "Of course I'm happy, I don't think I could have been happier."

"Hm, my life's goal is complete." Edward mused.

"Really now? That's all it took?" I asked. "What are you going to do now?"

"Hm… you never know what surprises I have." Edward grinned.

"Should I be scared?" I asked

"Never." Edward whispered. He bent down and kissed me, drawing wolf calls and clapping from our guests. Once more I blushed, causing my face and chest to go red. "I never want you to stop blushing." Edward's comment made be blush harder and I hid my face in his chest.

"You know I eventually will." I whispered. I felt Edward stiffen up, but I spoke up. "But we won't talk about that right now. This is a happy night, not a night to fight."

"I completely agree." Edward said, leaning down and kissing me.

When we returned to our table, a few more people came up to congratulate us, but things were starting to slow down. Charlie talked to Edward for a bit while I talked to Dara's parents and a few others. I watched as they kept looking at Dara and Dara kept looking at them. Dara, James, Laurent and Irina had remained behind the rest of the group for reasons unknown, although I'm pretty sure Dara wanted to use the time to be close to her parents, even if she wasn't talking to them. She was standing with James, Laurent, and Irina as far from her parents as possible. Her arm was wrapped around James and he had one wrapped around her. He would notice her looking at her parents and whisper in her ear before kissing her gently and pulling her back into the conversation. Irina and Laurent were also quite comfortable with each other, constantly touching and sneaking off into corners to talk, or I suppose make out.

"You ready to go?" Edward asked.

"Hm?" I asked, looking up at him.

"Are you ready to go?" Edward repeated.

"Already? Shouldn't we wait until the last guest leaves?" I asked.

"You've never been to a wedding, have you?

"No, not really. A few small ones for people in Forks, but nothing dramatic."

"Well, there are a few problems with us staying here. First, there are vampires here who never have to sleep or eat and could remain here, if they wanted, for quite some time. Second, the longer we stay here, the longer we have to wait for our honeymoon."

"Which is still a surprise in general." I murmured.

"Which is still a surprise and I'm still not going to tell you what it is." Edward said. He placed kisses up and down my neck as he waited for my decision.

"Alright, let's go."

"That's my girl." Edward said. He looked over and nodded to Alice before escorting me to the edge of the party. When we were far enough away from the humans, Edward picked me up bridal style and started running through the woods. I figured we would come to a carriage eventually, but Edward just kept running. He ran for so long that I ended up falling asleep in his arms, not that either of us really minded. When I woke up, we were getting to a carriage that was stopped at the side a lonely road.

"Where are we?" I asked.

"New Trinton, but we're not heading there."

"We're not?"

"No." Edward said. He continued to carry me over to the carriage and help me inside. He talked to the driver for a bit before joining me inside. Now that we were married, we were allowed in society's eyes to sit close to each other, hold each other, and basically show that we were in love. As the carriage rolled on and Edward held me close I ended up falling asleep again. I had to wonder if after I was changed if I would sleep this much on carriage rides, or would we even take carriages? Unfortunately, that was for another day because nothing was going to screw up this honeymoon.

oOoOoOo

Edward had planned a two week honeymoon on an island he called Isle Esme. Apparently, Carlisle had bought the island for Esme as a wedding present and they would use it occasionally, but were happy to let Edward and I use it for our honeymoon. We had chartered a small boat to get to the island and as soon as the boat left, we were alone. Edward explained there would be some maids coming in to clean up every few days, but there would really be no interruptions. Since we had gotten there late, we spent the night curled up in front of a fire, listening to the mixed sounds of the waves of the ocean and the crackling of the fire.

On our first morning, I as up at the break of dawn because of all the sleep I had gotten on the way to the island. Edward and I walked on the beach for most of the morning, before returning to the small cottage. When we arrived back at the house, I noticed dolphins playing just off shore. Edward said he couldn't get out there because they could sense the hunter in him, but there was a swimsuit in the house if I wanted to see if they would stay when I swam out. I decided to try it, knowing if anything happened that Edward would be right there to save me as usual. I slipped into the cottage and found a modestly cut swimsuit and slipped it on. When I remerged, Edward instantly had me in his arms and was kissing me hard.

"You should wear suits more often." Edward whispered.

"You can tell society that and see what they say." I relpied.

"What if I don't care?" Edward muttered.

"Well, there's always time when we're alone…" I teased before entering the water. I swam out to where the dolphins were and was surprised they actually stayed. When I dove under the water I could hear them talking to each other and splashing around. They would swim right up to me and let me pet them before speeding away and jumping around. After a while the dolphins left and Edward joined me in the water. Since it was starting to get colder, Edward took me back to the cottage and made sure I dried off and got into some warm clothes. We returned to our spot next to the fire, but this time the fire wasn't the only thing hot in the room…

oOoOoOo

I woke up the next morning back on our bed with feathers everywhere. It took me a few mintues to realize how I got back to the room, but the memories quickly came back and I smiled as I snuggled into Edward's chest. When a feather tickled my nose I looked around and noticed just how many feathers there were. "What happened?" I asked.

"I bit a pillow… or two… or three." Edward sighed.

"Hm… it makes what we did seem even more… magical and romantic." I smiled.

"You have no idea how close I was to biting you though."

"But you didn't and that's what matters." I replied. I pulled Edward's head down and we proceeded to repeat the previous nights actions.

oOoOoOo

When I woke up again, I noticed the mattress had been Edward's last victim. When Edward noticed I was awake, he picked me up and helped me with the shower. I was sore so I was grateful for his help. Once we were clean, Edward took me over to a table outside where he had already prepared a breakfast feast. I started with some fruit, moved on to waffles, and then to the bacon. I knew there was no way I'd finish, but Edward said he'd leave the rest of the maids who were coming today. When I was done, we walked on the beach for a bit before returning to another bedroom. We never saw the maids although when we walked in the food was gone and everything cleaned up.

"They're superstitious and have ideas what we are." Edward explained. "So they leave us alone and believe because of that we leave them alone. Although we'd never do anything anyway."

"I see." I said.

For the next few days of the vacation, we spent the time as any newlyweds would, never being apart from each other. I'd swim the dolphins for a bit, but they'd always leave and Edward would be right there to pull me back in and warm me up. However, one morning I was woken up by my stomach churning angrily. I pulled out of Edward's arms, surprising him, and ran for the bathroom. I threw up my dinner from the night before as Edward rubbed my back and held my hair. When I was done throwing up, Edward helped me back to bed and grabbed me a glass of water. He disappeared for a bit before returning to my side.

"None of the food should have made you sick…" He muttered.

"Did you just go check all the food?" I asked.

"I did." Edward nodded. "I couldn't find anything else that could cause you to get sick."

"Edward, we're in the tropics, I could have picked up a local bug or something, it should pass soon." I said. "If you're not better in a day I'm taking you back to Carlisle."

"Edward, I probably won't get better overnight."

"All the reason I should take you back now." Edward huffed.

"Give me two days, then you can take me to Carlisle." I said.

"Fine." Edward agreed after a tense minute.

"As for right now, you can take me back to the bathroom." I said before covering my mouth. Edward instantly picked me up and had me over the toilet where I proceeded to empty my stomach again.

I ended up getting better over the rest of the day, but the next morning I was once again sick. Edward was still huffing about taking me back to Carlisle, but he had promised me another day. Of course, the second day I threw up in the morning again even though I had felt relatively good the night before. As soon as I was done throwing up, Edward had me in his arms and was running across the water and then through the woods. We had to stop a few times for me to empty out my stomach and then eat to put something in it. Eventually we made it back to the manor and Carlisle was already outside ready for us. Alice and Rosalie were also there. I assume Alice had a vision, which is why they had all been prepared for our arrival. Carlisle had me moved up to Edward's room and set on his bed.

"I don't believe it." Carlisle whispered.

Edward looked at Carlisle before collapsing next to me. He held my hand tightly as Carlisle rechecked my stomach area. "Carlisle, what is it?" I asked.

"You're… you're pregnant." Carlisle said.

"Pregnant?" I asked.

"Indeed. It'll be the first hybrid in over a century." Carlisle said.

"What… I didn't even think it was possible." I said.

"It's rare, but obviously it is possible." Carlisle said.

"Will it take me 9 months to carry the child to term? What do I need to eat? How will the child be born?"

"Bella, calm down. There's not a lot of information on hybrid children, but what I know is that it's extremely dangerous for the mothers. A full term only lasts for about a month and a half, but from what I know, the babies have to tear out of the womb because the placenta is like a vampire's skin and only the baby and breach it."

"It could kill Bella?" Edward whispered.

"It could, but we'll try and prevent that form happening." Carlisle said.

"I want it gone, I want it out." Edward stated.

"Edward!" I exclaimed. "We will not be giving our baby up."

"But it can kill you."

"And you nor Carlisle nor anyone else will let that happen." I said. "Please Edward, please don't give up on me or the baby."

"I… I… I won't but if things start turning for the worse, Bella you matter the most. I will save you and sacrifice the baby before it becomes the opposite way around."

"Fine, but I don't want you jumping to that conclusion. Carlisle and I and Alice need to be a part of that decision."

"Agreed." Edward said. Why did I just feel like I had made a business deal?

oOoOoOo

Rosalie had immediately taken to taking care of me. She would always be there when Edward was with me, making sure he didn't do anything to hurt the baby in order to save me. When I started to not be able to eat normal food and was forced to try blood, Rosalie was the one to help me, although Edward was the smart one who suggested I use a straw so I didn't have to taste it as much. Rosalie also sent a letter to Dara, who arrived in order to help as well. James came with her, but remained in the shadows. Things were tense, but not as horrible as they were originally.

About a month into the pregnancy, Edward had picked up on the baby's thoughts. His demeanor instantly changed and he was helping me more than Rosalie. We had decided on Renesemee Cullen for her name. With both of them doting on me, as well as the rest of the family, I barely had to do anything. Everyone had also taken shifts for hunting but Rosalie and Edward hunted the least and even had the others bring animals back for them on occasion. Dara and James hunted the most, especially since we weren't sure about how the baby would be born and how tempting it would be to their natural instincts.

It was another few weeks when Dara came running in yelling my name. James strolled in casually behind her, but had a Cheshire cat grin on his face.

"What is it?" I asked, looking in between the couple.

"My turn! I'm getting married!" Dara said. She shoved her hand in my face, showing me a vintage ring. It was dull yet still shiny and if anything it was extremely regal looking.

"Did someone say married?" Alice said, popping her head into the room.

"Me!" Dara exclaimed. She showed Alice and Rosalie the ring and got hugs from both of them.

"Yay! Can I plan it, please!" Alice said.

"How is she as a planner?" Dara asked me.

"Amazing." I replied.

"Well… I guess I can use the help…" Dara said.

"Yay! More weddings!" Alice chirped. "O I can see it now! Ruthridge will be amazing. A small wedding… ok…"

I laughed as Alice started chattering Dara's ear off about wedding details. She tugged Dara over to a small couch. James stood behind them listening to everything, but never really sharing his ideas. I was laughing at Alice's excitement, thankful it wasn't me she was focused on, when a sharp pain ripped through my stomach. I screamed in pain and instantly had every vampire around me. When the pain relaxed I relaxed, but the pain returned within a minute or two.

"Carlisle!" Edward called.

"She's going into labor." Carlisle said. "Move her up to her old room."

My old room had been transformed into a hospital room equipped with everything we might need for my labor. Edward placed me on the bed and held one hand while Rosalie held the other. Carlisle started buzzing around preparing for everything. As another contraction hit I screamed at the top of my longs, squeezing both vampire's hands so hard I was sure I'd break them, vampire or not. "Shit." Carlisle said.

"What do you mean, shit?" Edward growled.

"The baby is tearing its way out of Bella, just as we thought."

"Carlisle…" Edward growled.

Carlisle ignored Edward, but I was slowly losing my hold on reality. The pain was so intense and so hard I just kept screaming and crying. Rosalie was whispering to me while Edward was screaming at Carlisle.

"Edward, you know what you're going to have to do." I heard Carlisle said.

"I'm sorry." I heard Edward whisper.

I felt an intense ripping pain on my stomach that numbed all my senses. For a few seconds, all I could hear was a light crying, the crying of my baby. Then blackness started to overwhelm me before a fire consumed my body.

oOoOoOo

I woke up three days later in Edward's bed. Edward was sitting next to me, holding me in his arms and whispering in my ear. I froze when I realized I could hear everything going on in the house and my eyesight was better. I could smell so many things and… holy shit Edward changed me. I jumped out of Edward's arms, flying into one of the bookshelves. I barely felt the wood shatter behind me as the bookshelf collapsed.

"Bella?" Edward asked. I could see the hurt in his eyes from me running from his arms.

"I'm… I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me." I whispered. I stood up and met Edward in the middle of the room. When he enveloped me in his arms, the feeling of home returned.

"It's alright." Edward whispered.

"You changed me?" I asked.

"There was too much blood loss. I had to." Edward whispered.

"Well I guess we won't be fighting over that anymore." I said, attempting to make a joke.

"Bella…" Edward groaned. "You nearly died."

"But I didn't. Now, moving on, where's our daughter? Where's Renesmee?"

"Downstairs, with Rosalie." Edward said. "The whole family has been doting on her. Although she's been asking for you?"

"Asking for me?"

"Bella, it's amazing. She can show you what she's thinking or feeling or something she's seen by touching you. She has no need to talk although she almost about to start."

"Can I see her, I want to see her. God, she must hate me since I haven't been there for her."

"She doesn't hate you. She showed me she understood." Edward said.

"I want my daughter Edward, I want my baby." I cried.

"We aren't sure it's safe." Edward sighed. "We need to take you hunting."

"I want my baby!" I cried. I pulled away from Edward and ran downstairs. I found Rosalie holding Renesmee and my sweet baby sucking down a bag of blood. I cried out and pulled Renesmee from Rosalie's arms. The blood bag spilling all over Rosalie and the floor in the process. Renesmee looked up at me and smiled brightly. She placed a tiny hand on her cheek and showed Edward changing me after I gave birth to her. It was an ugly scene, but all I could feel was love pulsing from my little girl. I choked back a dry sob and fell back into Edward who held us both. My baby girl continued to show me what she'd be doing the past few days and how much she'd already learned. She showed Emmett making a fool of himself to make her laugh, and Alice pulling out more clothes for her to wear as she grew.

"Bella, aren't you hungry?" Carlisle asked, breaking the bond between Renesmee and myself.

"No, not really… maybe a little." I said.

"Why don't you give Nessie back to Rose and I'll take you hunting?" Edward said. "You'll have her back in your arms when we get back since you've shown you're not going to hurt her." I handed Nessie back to Rose and let Edward pull me out.

Edward showed me how to track and hunt for animal prey in the forest. I had caught a small rabbit when we both caught the scent of a human I was ready to take off, but I reminded myself that is was a person I was about to hunt and stopped. Edward was surprised and ran into me thinking he'd have to restrain me from hunting the human. "I don't believe it." Edward said.

"I thought you said it was harder?" I asked.

"It's supposed to be." Edward nodded.

"Let's go find something bigger to hunt then we can go ask Carlisle." I said. Edward agreed and we quickly found a herd of deer deeper in the forest. We each took one and watched as the other person drank our prey dry. When we were full we returned to the manor where we were greeted by Carlisle. We explained what happened and Carlisle asked Edward to try and read my mind. He couldn't, which was no surprise. Carlisle then asked me rest and then let Edward read my mind. I opened up to Edward and whispered a "I love you". His jaw dropped and he wrapped his arms around me.

"I could hear here!" Edward explained.

"She's a shield." Carlisle explained. "She can block other powers or let them affect her. It's quite a rare trait."

"So, now that we know I'm still a weirdo as a vampire, can I have Nessie… please?"

"Of course." Carlisle stepped aside so I could walk in and find my daughter. Dara was holding her this time and whispering stories from when we were growing up. Nessie had her hand on Dara's face and was giggling along with some of the stories. When Dara saw me she stopped and handed Nessie over to me. Nessie placed her hand on my cheek and showed an image from one of the stories.

"Yes, that really did happen." I confirmed. "Your aunt Dara wasn't making it up." Nessie instantly broke out in a hit of giggles and clapped her hands wildly. Of course her fit was ended when she let out a large yawn.

"You need to go to bed, missy." I whispered. "You're only half vampire and you still need your sleep."

Nessie pouted, but curled in my arms and closed her eyes. I stood there with her for a few minutes watching her sleep. Edward came up and leaned his chin on my shoulder as he wrapped his arms around my waist. Nessie's hands unconsciously reached out to the both of us and we shared her dream of the stories Dara, Rosalie, Emmett, Alice, and Esme had shared with her.


	25. Epilogue

**A/N**- So this will probably be pretty ani-climatic just because I'm trying to wrap this story up. I didn't want to mention the Volturi, but I felt I was obligated to so there part is super short and brief. If you want more, go read Breaking Dawn. Hope you all have enjoyed! See ya next time!

* * *

Renesmee grew up so quickly, especially in a human sense as well in vampire terms. Within a few months she was already running around and chasing after everyone. She was talking when she had to, but her favorite thing in the world was to show everyone what she was feeling. When other clans came to visit us, she would immediately touch their arm and introduce herself visually. Most were awestruck and surprised, and a few nervous about her.

We were surprised one morning when the wolf pack showed up at our door. The entire pack was here, but they were also here in their human forms and explained they came in peace. I recognized Jacob immediately and shifted Nessie on my hip. His eyes narrowed in on my daughter and he stopped moving. His eyes darkened slightly, but not in anger or hunger. Instead I saw lust and… love? He tried to move forward, but Edward immediately stopped him. Rosalie also stepped up, ready to block Jacob from meeting our baby girl.

"Sam, could you explain what is going on." Carlisle said.

"Jacob's imprinted." Sam explained.

"Imprinted?" I asked.

"Wolves imprint on their mates. It's like love at first site, but more intense. When we imprint we know there is no one else for us. We protect our mates fiercely, just as any of you would." Sam explained.

"This mutt has imprinted on my daughter?" Edward asked.

"It would appear so." Sam sighed. "And there is nothing we can do."

"The hell there isn't." Rosalie hissed.

"Rose." I whispered. I placed a hand on her arm and pulled her back.

"Bella, what are you doing?" Edward asked.

"Whenever Jacob and his friends were in Forks, they never hurt me or anyone else. If what Same says is true, then we're going to have to trust them." I said.

"We came here to form a treaty." Sam said. "We've been watching you and your friends. We've noticed that those who drink human blood don't drink from too many people and keep their kills hidden. They also drink from those humans who are detrimental and if anything quite evil. Then there is your clan and those like you. You don't drink from humans and you mingle with them as though you weren't any different. We're tired of fighting, especially if it seems as though there is no need."

"So, you want to just stop and live happily ever after." Emmett said.

"Yes." Jacob said. He had still yet to take his eyes off of Nessie, but Edward wouldn't let him move any closer.

"Of course, we have some parameters, as I'm sure you do as well." Sam said.

"Of course. Why don't we move to my office and discuss this? I don't believe we need the entire pack or family with us."

"We'll wait outside." One of the wolves said. All but Jacob and Sam left the house. Carlisle and Sam left the room and headed towards Carlisle's study. The rest of the Cullen family remained in the room, watching Jacob watch Nessie.

Nessie started squirming in my arm, trying to sit down. She started smacking my chest and pointing to the ground. When I refused to let her down, she tugged on my hair and started screaming. I had never seen her throw such a fit, but it didn't seem as though anything I could do would stop her except setting her down. "Alice?" I asked.

"I can't see. I can't see when wolves are around." Alice said. I looked at Edward for advice, but he looked just as lost as me.

"If you make one wrong move, you're dead." I growled.

"I would never hurt her." Jacob said.

I set Nessie on the ground, even though everyone was gasping and hissing for me to pick her back up. Nessie stood up and wobbled over to Jacob who immediately kneeled down and let her come over at her own pace. Nessie placed her hand on Jacob and I could tell she was trying to figure out who she was and what was going on. She turned around with a large smile and I walked over. I kneeled down next to her and she placed her free hand on my cheek. She showed me Sam and his mate, Leah and her mate. Everyone was so happy and so protected. She showed me how she believed it would be with Jacob and I could feel myself becoming chocked up. She did love Jacob, I could tell that for sure. When I looked at Jacob, I could tell he felt the same.

"You hurt my baby at any time, and I'll kill you." I repeated my threat from before.

"Never." Jacob said.

"Puppy!" Nessie called, clapping her hands. Jacob looked down at her and smiled before changing into his wolf form. Rosalie and Edward were immediately crouching and waiting for Jacob to hurt our baby. Instead, Jacob let Nessie pet him, pull on his hairs, and bury her face in his fur. No one could believe it, especially when Jake curled around Nessie and she fell asleep on his belly. Jake's head was turned to she was able to hold his nose and we knew that confirmed it. No one could deny their bond.

oOoOoOo

We were all preparing for Dara's wedding when Alice had a vision of the Volturi coming. Edward quickly explained who they were and why they were interested in us. Especially since no hybrids were allowed to live. Dara immediately postponed her ready and arrived at the manor with James, Laurent, and Irina. Just like for Edward and mine's wedding vampires from all over the world arrived. They all met Nessie and agreed to help us defend her. Two Romanian vampires arrived and didn't need to meet Nessie, they just wanted a chance to fight the Volturi if it came down to it. Those with gifts helped me train my new powers. We found I was able to protect others, which I was ready to use to protect my family.

When the confrontation came, the Volturi were surprised at the support we had, especially with the wolf pack. Aro and his brothers introduced themselves and explained the laws we had broken and why we must repent and join them or die. Of course, we all said we'd rather die than join Aro's twisted world. Aro's talented vampires immediately started fighting, but my unexpected power kept their attacks to a minimum. We were able to dispose of quite a few of Aro's guard before Aro's support started to waiver and he was forced to retreat. He claimed he would be back, but we knew there was a shift. He wouldn't be back unless it was a suicide mission. There was a new world dawning on our race. We had new friends, new families, and new lives ahead of us.

oOoOoOo

Dara's wedding was a quiet affair. All of the Cullens, Laurent, the Denali's and a few of the other vampires she had met at the wedding and our encounter with the Volturi were the only ones in attendance. Carlisle offered to run the ceremony as he had done in mine, but Dara turned him down and had Laurent run the ceremony. Dara and James kept their vows quite traditional instead of anything more creative and lovey-dovey, which fit their personalities to a T. Their reception had dancing and a few speeches, but the happy couple had disappeared within two hours. Laurent made sure everyone else left Ruthridge since he was in charge of the property and businesses until James and Dara returned.

Laurent eventually married Irina and they left James and Dara for quite some time. Since James and Laurent were business partners, they shared their properties. If anything, they would create their own family together, even if they were split in half with two being human drinkers and the other two being animal drinkers.

Jacob cherished Nessie, going everywhere with us. He wouldn't let her out of his site unless he was forced to by either Edward, myself, or Sam. Even then he was back rather quickly. As Nessie grew, she became more independent, but we were always close. After only a few years she was the equivalent human age of 18 and decided to marry and then leave for a few years with Jacob. Jacob had stopped aging in order to wait for Nessie and so he was only about 20 when they were married. Once more, the wedding was simple and quiet, really just a family affair. Esme and Carlisle let them use Isle Esme for their honeymoon before they left to see the world.

As for the Volturi, they never came back, but they did send people to bother us every once in a while. We never listened to the threats and continued to live our lives the way we always had. After about a decade, the Cullen family decided to separate for some time. Each unit took to living on their own in various homes across the world. Edward and I returned to Tranton for a few years before visiting and traveling with Nessie and Jake for a few more.

In a few years the Cullen family will reunite, but for now it was just about Edward and I and we were perfectly happy that way…


End file.
